Saudi Arabia striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan admits side were below par in Kuwait win

Saudi Arabia striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan said his team must improve after opening the Gulf Cup 21 with a 1-0 victory over Kuwait on Wednesday.

The result put the Green at the top of Group A, while Al-Hamdan said the three points were particularly important as Saudi Arabia look to maintain their winning run in the next rounds.

“We congratulate the Saudi people on the victory, and commiserations to the Kuwait team,” Al-Hamdan told Al Kass. “The win was important and we needed it.”

Despite the result, Al-Hamdan acknowledged that Saudi Arabia had not produced the performance expected of them. He attributed the subdued display partly to the difficulty of opening matches, but said he expected the team to show more in their upcoming fixtures.

“We were not bad, and we reached the opponent’s goal, but we need to improve certain things,” he added. “With time, we will perform better.”

Saudi Arabia lead the group with three points, two ahead of Oman and Iraq, who drew 1-1. Kuwait remain without a point after the opening round.

The Green will play Oman in the second round on Saturday, while Iraq face Kuwait.