The national football team killed several birds with one stone, following its great victory over Costa Rica by four goals to one, during the international friendly match that brought them together, the day before yesterday, at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb Club at the conclusion of the “White” external camp in Croatia, as part of its preparations. For upcoming external participations, most notably competing in the second round of the joint Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup finals, and the 2027 Asian Cup finals.
Although the match was friendly, the team’s technical staff, led by Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, sought to assess the levels of its players, whether old or new.
The team achieved many gains from this match, including five major gains, represented by the experience of 17 players, including six who played as substitutes in the second half, in addition to the team regaining in this match its character and identity that had been absent from it in the last period, in addition to the “white” appearance. With fighting performance and a high team spirit that I have missed in recent years, the match also revealed the players’ understanding of the way coach Pinto plays, even though he is new to the national team, as this is his first match since his contract with the Football Association last July, in addition to the fact that “Al-Abyad” outperformed the team. A team ranked 46th in the world, in the latest FIFA rankings, in addition to the fact that this victory is the first for the team since the last friendly victory over the Lebanese national team with a clean goal scored by Sebastian Tigali in December 2022, before heading to Iraq to compete in the 25th Gulf Cup, which was held in the city of Basra.
Technical gains
One of the great technical gains achieved by the team in this match is that it reassured its fans that it is coming strong during its expected appearance in the upcoming matches.
What was noteworthy in the match was that the team’s four goals came against veteran goalkeeper Keylor Nafs (37 years old), the French goalkeeper of Paris Saint-Germain and the former goalkeeper of Real Madrid, Spain.
Athletes stressed that the level shown by the team is a positive indicator if it continues with the same performance and spirit in which it played the Costa Rica match, while others stressed that the match is merely a friendly experience that should not be given more than it deserves, since official matches differ from friendly matches.
They told Emirates Today: “Although the match was just a friendly experience, coach Pinto showed his mark through the proper employment of the elements, whether those who participated from the beginning in the starting lineup, or the substitute players who participated in the second half.”
A promising start
The former international player and technical analyst, Abdul Rahman Muhammad, described the team’s appearance in this match as a promising start and a positive indicator that the team is on the right path, according to what he observed from the players during the 90 minutes if they continued in this spirit, indicating that there was fear in how The players absorbed the idea of the new coach Pinto, but the players passed the test and implemented everything the coach asked of them.
He pointed out that the team was distinguished in this match by the cohesion of its lines, and the implementation of duties, tasks and all the tactical matters that the coach asked of the players in a positive manner during the match, stressing the importance of building on what he presented in this match for the future.
Pinto imprint
Former Football Association Board of Directors member and sports analyst, Dr. Salim Al Shamsi, said, “This victory was surprising against a big team like Costa Rica, and that the match showed the imprint of coach Pinto, who knew how to employ players properly.”
He pointed out that although the team achieved a great victory over Costa Rica, the match remains just a friendly experience and we should not give it more than it deserves, especially since friendly matches are different from official matches. He added: “But at the same time, the match revealed that there are positive indicators for the team if it continues at the level it presented in this match,” considering that Pinto employed his players properly during the match, and his mark was clear in the first match during which he led the team.
Positive step
For his part, the former international goalkeeper, Abdul Qader Hassan, described the distinguished performance presented by the team against Costa Rica as a good start for the “Whites” with the new Portuguese coach, Pinto.
He pointed out that the match, although it was a friendly experience, revealed many positive things, including that the team played against Costa Rica with a good combination, discipline, high spirit, and the players’ great self-confidence. Abdul Qader Hassan said that he “hopes that the team will continue during its next journey in the same spirit in which it played the Costa Rica match.”
• The victory over Costa Rica is the first victory for the team since its victory over Lebanon in December 2022.
The 5 gains
1- Pinto learned about the players’ levels by experimenting with 17 players over the course of the two halves of the match.
2- The team regained its personality and identity, which was absent from it in the past period.
3- The appearance of the players with combat performance and a high team spirit that has been lacking in recent years.
4- The players’ understanding of the way Pinto plays, even though it is the coach’s first match with the national team.
5- Reassuring “Al-Abyad” fans that he is coming strong during his upcoming appearance at foreign events.
2023-09-13 22:13:11
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