Donnis: We Didn't Think About the Future, and That's Why We Failed to Win

The coach of the Saudi national team, Georgios Donis, appeared in a press statement following the draw against Cape Verde in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

The Saudi national team bid farewell to the World Cup following this draw, as they raised their tally to two points, placing them in fourth and last place. Meanwhile, the Cape Verde national team secured the second qualifying spot after raising their tally to three points, behind the Spanish team, which topped the group with 7 points.

Donis said in his statement: "I saw the team wanting to achieve victory, but we faced significant problems in creating opportunities. When we play a match at this level and cannot control its pace, it becomes difficult to make a difference."

He added, "The opponent had direct opportunities, but I felt that the players had the desire to win. However, we did not succeed in creating chances or controlling the match, and therefore we were unable to achieve victory."

He continued: "I told the players in the locker room that we went through a very tough month, and we tried to give our all in every aspect, but we didn't achieve our goal. When we faced a team at our level, we didn't perform as required. It was a difficult journey, and I thank all the players, and I wished we could have delivered a better performance."

And he continued: "Did you think about the future and forget the present? No, we focused on each match individually during training, but the circumstances came with significant pressures that affected us and contributed to losing our goals. Throughout the preparation period, our focus was on the World Cup, and once things calm down, we will be able to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and analysis."

He concluded: "We tried to utilize Sultan Mandash on the wing due to his ability to excel in one-on-one situations, but our inability to control the match made the task more difficult, especially after entering the second half without achieving our goal. Additionally, the forward line did not perform at the expected level, which significantly complicated our task."