Georgios Donis warns Saudi Arabia must solve World Cup-era problem after Kuwait win

Saudi Arabia manager Georgios Donis criticised his players’ decision-making despite their 1-0 victory over Kuwait in the opening match of Gulf Cup 27.

The sides met at Al-Inmaa Stadium in Jeddah on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, with Saudi Arabia taking all three points in the first round of Group B.

However, Donis said his team needed to show greater composure after dominating possession and spending long periods near Kuwait’s penalty area without creating enough clear chances.

“I congratulate the players because they tried hard and gave everything,” the Greek coach told Qatar’s Al Kass channels after the match.

“But in games like this, we have to be calmer, make the right decisions and do the right things.”

Donis said Saudi Arabia could not expect to control matches so extensively without producing more opportunities or scoring more goals.

“It is not possible to have the ball near the opponent’s penalty area so often without having real chances on goal and scoring goals,” he added.

The manager also challenged his players to make future matches more straightforward by improving their confidence in key moments.

“We can make this type of match easier,” Donis said. “The next step for us is to make our players calmer and more confident so they can make the right decisions.”

Saudi Arabia’s winning goal came through an own goal by Yusuf Al-Haqan. His team-mate Hummam Al-Hammami’s shot struck Al-Haqan’s foot, deceiving the goalkeeper before going into the net.

Despite the narrow win, Donis said the performance reflected a weakness that had remained with the team since the World Cup.

“I am happy to get the three points, but we are still suffering from the same problem since the World Cup,” he said.

“We have the ball, control the match and keep it close to the opponent’s penalty area. But the final pass and the final decision are not the best.”

He concluded: “We have to make better decisions and score goals.”