Spanish player Alvaro Midran, representing Al-Ettifaq, shared his happiness about returning to the Saudi league with an important victory. However, he expressed concern over the noticeable decline in the team's performance during the final minutes of the match. While they secured three points, Midran emphasized that there are technical aspects that need to be reviewed.
In an interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Midran described the win as positive, noting that Al-Ettifaq performed well during the first 70 minutes of the match before their level dropped significantly in the closing moments. He stated, "I am happy with the performance in the first 70 minutes, but I am not satisfied with the last 20 minutes. We retreated, started defending, and stopped playing the ball, almost losing the winning points."
Match Details
Midran clarified that the team performed well for most of the match but did not hide his dissatisfaction with the decline that followed. He confirmed that the team began to fall back and relied on defense instead of continuing to play their usual style, which nearly cost them two precious points.
He added that what happened in the last 20 minutes requires internal review, expressing contentment with the team's performance during most of the match, but complete dissatisfaction with the way the team ended. He discussed the flow of the match, indicating that Al-Ettifaq also showed well in the first half, despite conceding a goal he described as "naive." However, the team managed to quickly equalize before starting the second half strongly with an early goal, which contributed to giving the team an advantage.
Background & Context
In a related context, Saad Al-Shehri, the coach of Al-Ettifaq, confirmed that his team deserved the victory over Al-Qadisiyah in their match within the Saudi Professional League. He praised his players for their calmness and bravery in handling the match's circumstances, especially after the red card incident. Al-Shehri explained that the match conditions were not easy at all, particularly after the numerical disadvantage.
He pointed out that the red card did not give his team a comfortable advantage as some might think, but rather increased the difficulty of the encounter. He affirmed that the match was balanced even before Al-Qadisiyah's goal, followed by the red card, then the equalizer, and finally the lead. There was courage and desire from our players, and Al-Qadisiyah also tried hard.
Impact & Consequences
On the other hand, Irish coach Rodgers expressed his dissatisfaction with the result of the "Eastern Derby," asserting that his team played a great match and did not deserve to come out as losers. He noted that some refereeing decisions had a direct impact on the match's course, emphasizing that Al-Qadisiyah players showed great courage on the field.
The coach also expressed his discontent with some other refereeing situations, mentioning that the third goal scored by his team, which was disallowed, along with other decisions, left him with significant questions. He confirmed that his team is still in a good position in the standings and that the competition remains open until the final rounds.
Regional Significance
This match is part of the fierce competition in the Saudi league, which is witnessing a notable improvement in the level of teams. These events reflect the importance of refereeing in matches and its impact on results, raising questions about how to improve refereeing performance to ensure fairness in competitions.
In conclusion, the challenge for teams remains to address technical and tactical errors to ensure positive results in upcoming rounds, reflecting fans' aspirations to see their teams excel in competitions.