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Al Arabiya
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Exclusive Marcos Soares focused on FIFA U20 World Cup after Saudi Arabia's Asian silver
After returning home from China with an AFC U20 Asian Cup silver medal, the first in-person congratulations that Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Soares received was a fitting one. Back in the Kingdom, and straight back to the gym near his Riyadh home, Soares bumped into senior national team coach Herve Renard. The Frenchman, who worked with Soares during his first spell in charge of the Green Falcons, was full of praise for Saudi Arabia's youngsters after they narrowly lost the U20 Asian Cup final to Australia on penalties. 'Herve and I spoke about the tournament and of course he had watched all the games,' Soares told Al Arabiya English in an exclusive interview. 'He is a great guy and he knows we have some talents but of course it is difficult to promote players at the moment because the [senior] team has the pressure of the World Cup qualifying. For more Saudi sports news, visit our dedicated page. 'We must be patient but these conversations are ongoing of course – about the players who could make the step up to his team in the future. We have a very good relationship and his feeling is like mine about this tournament. 'I am so proud of my team because we have been working so hard to achieve something. I didn't work alone and I have to thank my staff too – they are brilliant.' The dramatic final shootout in the may not have gone Saudi Arabia's way but the runner-up finish was the country's best performance in the competition in seven years. It also meant that the Green Falcons qualified for this September's FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, with each of the U20 Asian Cup semi-finalists awarded a place at the tournament. 'The main target was to qualify for the World Cup and that day was amazing when we beat China in the quarter-final,' Soares explained. 'We played in a full stadium, with all the crowd supporting China throughout the game and a very good opposition with amazing players. But we did it. 'It means everything to reach [the U20 World Cup] because I was working at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as part of the Iranian delegation but now I will be on the field working as the coach. Playing a World Cup in South America with teams like Brazil, Italy, France, Argentina will be very special and I hope we can make it to the knockout stage. 'I will prepare the team very well and then we will try to fight for a place in the second round. That will be amazing. We need to dream but we need to understand that it will not be easy. The level is very high. But mentally I believe we are prepared.' Soares guided Saudi Arabia to victory at the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U19 Championship last summer; since then the Kingdom has had confirmation it will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup and the Brazilian coach has noticed a shift in expectations. This is because the players who Soares calls on could be the ones who form the backbone of the Green Falcons team nine years from now. 'I believe the talent is there,' Soare said. 'We have many players who have improved a lot over the past year and I hope they can understand if they want to keep the level that they must work a lot. It's very hard to arrive at that level and to maintain it is also very difficult. 'I am sure we're going to have a few players from our team in the senior team in a few years. This is the normal path and I hope they can be strong mentally to understand what is needed to step up and play for Saudi Arabia – especially at a home World Cup. 'I feel that this is my land now and everything that I'm doing here is to help Saudi Arabia. Everyone at the [Saudi Football] Federation is supporting us a lot to achieve something.' Among the many Saudi players who made a positive impact at the U20 Asian Cup was 19-year-old Bassam Hazzazi. The Al Nassr midfielder suffered the heartbreak of missing the crucial spot-kick in the final penalty shootout, but Soares insists it shouldn't detract from his displays in China. 'Football can be a funny game because in my opinion he was our best player in the tournament and then he missed the penalty,' Soares said. 'It is not the first time this has happened – I remember when Roberto Baggio and Franco Baresi missed for Italy [to lose to Brazil] in the 1994 World Cup final. This is football. 'But Bassam is very strong mentally. He's always playing with a smile on his face, even if everybody is stressing around him. Of course he was sad to miss the penalty but all his team-mates talked to him afterwards and tried to make him feel better. 'Although it can seem like it is your fault when you are the one who misses, the reality is that you don't lose a match just by one penalty – there are many factors.' Hazzazi was not the only player to miss a penalty at the tournament China, with defender Saleh Barnawi also failing to score in the semi-final. Despite this, the Al Hilal defender showed admirable spirit to volunteer again to take a spot-kick in the final. Barnawi is another player who has impressed Soares, who worked with him previously in the youth team of Al Hilal, where he was appointed captain by his now national team coach. 'He is the best player we have in terms of ability to read the game,' Soares said of Barnawi. 'He's not so big for a center-back but he is such a smart player and can read the game very fast. His decision making is very good and he is very strong mentally. 'Nothing changed when he missed the penalty and in the final, he was the first time to volunteer. I trust him and as a coach it is great to have players like this who you have worked with before – who you can build the tactics around. They make my job easier.' While Soares could – and would – wax lyrical about all of his players, the Brazilian coach reserved special praise for his goalkeeper Hamed al-Shanqity. The teenage Al Ittihad shot-stopper kept three clean sheets in six matches and was officially named Best Goalkeeper at the U20 Asian Cup by AFC observers. Soares feels al-Shanqity has all the attributes necessary to make it to the very top of the game. 'Hamed is an amazing player – you cannot believe what he does sometimes. And he has still never played a competitive [senior] first-team game in his life – this surprises me. He plays very well with his hands and he is a strong character too. 'He never has any fear and even if he makes a mistake, nothing changes. He is one of my leaders in this team and I have no doubts he could play now in Manchester City or Barcelona or Real Madrid. He's really one of the main reasons that we reached the Asian Cup final.' Soares said the next step is for his Saudi starlets to be given more game time by their Saudi Pro League clubs, or to seek opportunities elsewhere if those chances don't arrive. 'This [more Pro League] minutes would help us a lot. But also I understand the teams have older players and foreign players who perform very well. It's not easy to go and play there. 'But one of our players Saad Haqawi made an amazing assist to Cristiano Ronaldo last month when he was given a chance. It's an amazing environment there at Al Nassr and I hope there will be more opportunities. 'Of course we also understand that the teams need to win and that doesn't always mean they can give time to the young players. Maybe also a few of my players should go abroad to try different experiences. I believe in the next few months such things are going to happen.'
Arab Times
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Australia edges Saudi Arabia to win U20 Asian Cup
SHENZHEN, China, March 2, (Xinhua): Steven Hall saved the decisive spot-kick as Australia defeated Saudi Arabia 5-4 in a penalty shootout to win the AFC U20 Asian Cup at the Baoan Sports Center Stadium. The match ended 1-1 in regular time, with neither team able to break the deadlock in extra time. Both teams converted their first four attempts in the shootout, but Australia scored in the decisive fifth round. At the same time, Saudi Arabia's Bassam Hazazi saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Hall, securing a 5-4 victory for Australia. Saudi Arabia equalized as Hall was just unable to keep Talal Haji's header from crossing the goal line, with the goal confirmed after a VAR review. Both sides missed a handful of chances in the second half before a fruitless additional 30 minutes of extra time led to the decisive shootout. Australia broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when Alexander Badolato's cross into the box was deflected into the path of Louis Agosti, whose shot from just outside the box sailed past Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Hamed Yousef and into the bottom-left corner.
Al Arabiya
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Saudi Arabia starlets eye U20 Asian Cup quarters and spot in FIFA U20 World Cup
After a rollercoaster group stage, Saudi Arabia's Under-20 team has made it through to the quarterfinals of the AFC U20 Asian Cup. A clash with host China on Saturday is all that stands between the Green Falcons and a place in the last four; with that comes a bigger reward, with all the semi-finalists qualifying for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile this September. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. For Saudi Arabia, it would be a first appearance at the U20 World Cup since a group stage exit in Poland in 2019 after the 2021 edition was cancelled and the Green Falcons failed to qualify in 2023. There is certainly added pressure on the Saudi players. Every tournament featuring the Kingdom's youth teams is now being keenly watched as the personnel involved could form the core of Saudi Arabia's team at a home World Cup in 2034. The Green Falcons also have an impressive record in the competition to defend. Only Iraq (five times) and South Korea (12 times) have won the AFC U20 Asian Cup – and its predecessor, the AFC U19 Championship – more than Saudi Arabia, which lifted the trophy for the third time in 2018. That squad included several players who have gone on to become key figures for the Green Falcons senior team, with the likes of Firas al-Buraikan (Al Ahli), Hassan Tambakti (Al Hilal) and Saud Abdulhamid (Roma) among Saudi Arabia's 2018 champions. The 2025 vintage is aiming to emulate that achievement and achieved progress to the quarterfinals after two wins and a defeat in Shenzhen, with a 1-0 loss to Iraq sandwiched between victories over Jordan and North Korea. For Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Soares, who led the team to a West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U19 Championship triumph last summer, there was a feeling of relief that his side made it through Group B. 'We knew that our group would be very tough and we are happy we succeeded to get through,' Soares told Al Arabiya English ahead of the match against China. 'After a bad beginning against Iraq and the defeat, it was good to see the team come back stronger in the last game.' Saudi Arabia's current U20 team is spearheaded by Al Ittihad's Talal Haji, the youngest ever player to score in the Saudi Pro League and also the youngest debutant for the Green Falcons senior side. He exploded onto the scene last season but has had a quieter 2024-25 campaign on loan at Al Riyadh. Fellow Al Ittihad youngster Farhah al-Shamrani is another highly rated talent at coach Soares' disposal. Like Haji, al-Shamrani was an influential figure as Saudi Arabia brought home the WAFF U19 Championship trophy last year and is currently on loan at Al Kholood from the Saudi Pro League leader. Despite being important players, Haji and al-Shamrani have yet to score in Shenzhen – with both upstaged somewhat in the group stage by Al Nassr's Saad Haqawi. The 19-year-old bagged the only goal of the 1-0 victory over Jordan in the opening game and then also netted Saudi Arabia's crucial equalizer in the final group match against North Korea. The latter goal sparked a comeback that was completed by substitute Thamer Al-Khaibari 85th-minute winner. 'The match was difficult,' said Haqawi, who registered his first assist for Al Nassr last month, setting up a goal for captain Cristiano Ronaldo in the 3-1 win over Al Khaleej. 'The first half we were too relaxed but after they scored their goal, we woke up. We went back to the dressing room, we talked and we were determined to show that we can do better.' He continued, 'We played with more confidence and closed down the spaces better in the second half and this is what made us try until we won. It's the biggest step that we need to take and hopefully for the Saudi fans, we can go further. They are going to give us a difficult match for sure but we are hopeful we can go through.' Soares shares his player's optimism. Quarter-final opponent China beat Qatar and Kyrgyzstan in the group stage but also showed its fallibility in a 3-1 defeat to Group A winner Australia. And Saudi Arabia's coach believes his team is ready to follow in Australia's footsteps and inflict a defeat that would eliminate the host and earn the Green Falcons a place in the semi-finals. 'Now we have another huge game,' Soares said. 'We are going to need to be 100 percent focused to try to beat them. China has a very strong team and is playing at home, so we must play a perfect match if we want to fight for a place in the [FIFA U20] World Cup.'
