Athletes have confirmed that five technical reasons contributed to the national team's 3-0 loss to their Moroccan counterpart in the semi-final of the Arab Cup the day before yesterday in Doha, depriving 'Al-Abda' (the team's nickname) of a place in the final. They explained that the most prominent of these factors was the fatigue and exhaustion suffered by several key players, such as Caio Lucas, Nicolás Giménez, and Marcos Milloni, in addition to recurring defensive errors, as happened in the first and third goals conceded by the team's goal. Also, the inability to deal with crosses, along with injuries sustained by several players, including Luan Pereira and Ala al-Din Zuhair, and the lack of success of coach Ilarion Cosmin in some of his interventions, and his less-than-perfect reading of the game's flow, especially when he substituted Bruno Oliveira in the 71st minute. They also pointed out to 'Emarat Al-Youm' that the Moroccan team handled the match well and the quality of their players, confirming that 'Al-Abda' achieved significant gains during the tournament, the most notable of which being the remarkable improvement in performance, facing strong teams, and the emergence of several players. The national team will face its Saudi counterpart tomorrow at 3 PM on Khalifa International Stadium in Doha to determine the third and fourth places.
"Major Development"
On his part, sports analyst Ahmed Khalifa attributed the team's loss to Morocco to physical fatigue and the failure of some players to show their real levels, in addition to the absence of influential players due to injury, such as Luan Pereira and Ala al-Din Zuhair. Khalifa confirmed that the team has developed technically and is now characterized by a collective playing style, presenting strong matches with enthusiasm and a high fighting spirit, indicating that this alone is not enough to win tournaments. He added: "The quality of the Moroccan players, the continuation of defensive errors, and the poor handling of crosses were among the most prominent reasons for the loss, demanding solutions to this recurring problem." Khalifa said: "The sports street was not satisfied with the team at first, but the picture changed after the wins over Kuwait and Algeria." He considered that Cosmin's continuation in the next phase, despite some observations that can be discussed by the specialized committees in the football association, is important. He praised the emergence of several players, most notably the goalkeeper Hamad Al-Maqbali in his first start, along with Giménez who played the role of a leader on the field, and the young striker Muhammad Jumaa.
"Continuation of Cosmin"
On his part, former international player and former Al-Sharjah manager, Badr Ahmed, said that despite not reaching the final, the team presented positive levels, confirming that the sports street always looks at the results. He pointed out that the absence of an outspoken striker, physical fatigue, and injuries were the most prominent reasons for not qualifying, praising the performance of goalkeeper Hamad Al-Maqbali, Marcos Milloni, and Bruno Oliveira. He stressed the necessity of continuing Cosmin, as he is the most knowledgeable about the players' capabilities at the moment.
"Fatigue and Injuries"
In turn, former international player and technical analyst, Ali Musri, said there are main reasons for the team's loss, the most prominent of which is fatigue resulting from a short recovery period, as the team had only two days of rest, compared to three for the Moroccan team. He explained that the fatigue was evident on influential players, such as Caio Lucas, Bruno Oliveira, and Nicolás Giménez, pointing out that defender Ruben Philip, who had previously shown consistent levels, was not successful in the match against Morocco. He added: "The absence of a player like Marcos Milloni, along with the quality of the Moroccan players, contributed to settling the match in their favor." He concluded by saying that the team gained great benefits from the tournament that can be built upon in the future.
The 5 Technical Reasons:
- The state of fatigue and exhaustion suffered by several key players.
- Recurring defensive errors, as in the first and third goals.
- The team's inability to deal with crosses.
- Injuries sustained by several players.
- Coach Cosmin's lack of success, especially the substitution of Bruno Oliveira.
