Sports analysts and experts have stated that the national football team's performance was not poor despite their 1-2 loss to Jordan in the opening match of the 2025 Arab Cup in Doha. They noted that despite playing with ten men after Khalid al-Znahani was sent off early in the first half, the team appeared organized. The red card changed the course of the match and disrupted the team's strategy. The only problem was individual defensive errors, particularly from defender Kwame Kwido, for which the team paid a heavy price and which continued without any solution from coach Olariviu Cosmin. They emphasized the team's ability to make up ground in their next matches against Egypt and Kuwait, but on the condition that errors are corrected. Others, however, blamed Cosmin for the loss, citing his poor technical reading of the match's events, especially after the red card and numerical disadvantage. They added that the team suffers from many issues, including technical instability and frequent coaching changes, as well as the poor quality of some selected players, which has significantly harmed the team. Former player and analyst Bakhit Saad stressed that the team has many long-standing problems requiring radical solutions, such as the poor selection of coaches and instability. He believes that firing Cosmin is not a solution and that a comprehensive evaluation is needed. Coach Rashid Amer agreed that the team started the match excellently and that despite the loss, the players showed a desire to win. The team was well-organized and effective in attack, but the problem was individual errors in the backline, not tactical ones. He noted that the team did not deserve the loss based on their performance, especially when compared to the Jordanian team, who were the first Arab team to qualify for the World Cup and were the Asian runners-up. Former player and analyst Ali Tani also blamed coach Cosmin for his poor management of the match, stating that the team's potential makes it superior to any opponent.
