Saudi Arabia suffer two more injuries as Gulf Cup 27 problems deepen

Saudi Arabia’s injury troubles at the Gulf Cup 27 continued as Alaa Al-Haji and Hassan Kadesh were both forced off during their match against Oman on Saturday.

The two sides met at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah in the second round of the group stage, with Saudi Arabia losing two more players to injury in a match that added to their growing concerns.

Midfielder Alaa Al-Haji was withdrawn at half-time and replaced by Ziyad Al-Jehani. Kadesh then suffered an injury in the second half following a strong challenge in midfield.

Saudi Arabia head coach Georgios Donis responded by taking the defender off and sending on Jihad Thakri in his place.

The latest setbacks mean injuries have now affected four Saudi Arabia players during the tournament. Goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi was hurt in the previous match against Kuwait and was subsequently ruled out of the rest of the Gulf Cup 27.

Saudi Arabia also began the Oman game without Mohammed Al-Qahtani, who missed the team’s training sessions for the previous two days after experiencing abdominal pain.

The injuries have increased the pressure on Saudi Arabia ahead of their third group-stage fixture, when they will face Iraq at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah next Tuesday.

The national team’s difficulties began with the loss of Al-Aqidi against Kuwait, before Al-Qahtani became unavailable and Al-Haji and Kadesh sustained injuries against Oman. Their condition and availability for the meeting with Iraq were not detailed in the report.