Dalic admits Saudi Arabia deserved Gulf Cup victory

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic acknowledged that the home support played a significant role in his UAE players’ performance as Saudi Arabia defeated the United Arab Emirates 2-0 in the Gulf Cup 27 final.

The result saw Saudi Arabia lift the trophy for the first time in 23 years, securing the title with goals in the final and ending a lengthy wait for Gulf Cup success.

Speaking in comments carried by Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiya, Dalic said his side had faced a strong Saudi team that began the match with greater concentration.

“We faced a strong team that entered the match highly focused, while we made some mistakes, particularly at the start,” he said. “We must learn from them, work to correct them and improve our level in future tournaments.”

Dalic said he was pleased with the UAE’s overall campaign and thanked the supporters who attended the tournament.

“I am happy with what the team produced throughout the competition, and I thank the fans for their attendance and support,” he added.

The Croatian coach described the tournament as an important personal experience and said he was proud of what his team had achieved.

“It was a special tournament for me personally, and I am proud of what we accomplished during it,” he said.

However, Dalic also highlighted the effect of the atmosphere inside the stadium during the final, saying Saudi Arabia’s supporters had created an advantage for the opposing side.

“We also faced significant crowd pressure inside the stadium. The fans were like an additional player for the opponents,” he said. “But in the end, the Saudi national team deserved to win the tournament, and I congratulate them on this achievement.”

The victory was Saudi Arabia’s fourth Gulf Cup title, following previous successes in 1994, 2002 and 2003-04. It moved them level with Iraq in second place among the competition’s most successful teams, with both nations having won the trophy four times.

Kuwait remain the record holders with 10 Gulf Cup titles.

The success also ended Saudi Arabia’s wait for a trophy in all competitions since their 2003-20 Gulf Cup triumph. Since then, they had suffered disappointment in major finals, including defeat by Iraq in the 2007 Asian Cup final and losses in four Gulf Cup finals. In the Arab Cup, they finished third in 2025.

Greece’s Georgios Donis restored the trophy to Saudi Arabia and became the fourth coach to lead the national team to the title. He followed national coaches Mohammed Al-Kharashy, who won in 1994, and Nasser Al-Johar, who triumphed in 2002, as well as Dutchman Van der Lem, who guided the team to victory in 2003-04.