Saudi Arabia may have lost to Germany on Friday night but Juan Antonio Pizzi said the Green Falcons head to the World Cup full of confidence.
The 2-1 defeat went the way of the pre-match predictions — Germany at home were never likely to lose — but the performance of Pizzi’s side hinted at a new-found maturity and that the new coach’s ideas were finally being taken on board by the players.
Germany may have brought their five-game losing streak to an end but had to rely on Mats Hummels denying Mohammad Al-Sahlawi an injury-time equalizer — Timo Werner and a Omar Hawsawi own goal gave the hosts the lead they never relinquished, although a Taisir Al-Jassim stoke late on gave the world champions a nervy last six minutes.
Germany started at an electrifying pace and could have been three up after 20 minutes. But having ridden their luck Saudi Arabia settled into the match and could have snatched a last-minute goal.
Pizzi was doubtless the happier of the two managers and after the match his contentment was obvious to pick up. Just four days out from the side’s opening clash against Russia the Argentine coach is certain his team is exactly where they need to be.
“It was a very good match and were very happy to compete one of the greatest teams in the world,” Pizzi said.
“The level of our game is getting better, there was a great improvement and we had good control of the game for long period of time.
“There were moments in the match we can look back on and say we did well, we created chances. We created opportunities to score more than one goal.”
The upbeat nature of Pizzi might seem weird considering the Green Falcons head into the tournament on the back of three defeats. Losses to Italy (2-1) and Peru (3-0) before the Germany clash, however, despite the scorelines, hinted at a team on the rise and getting better with every match.
There is still little doubt that Saudi Arabia face a tough task in Russia, despite it being one of the easier groups — as well as the hosts the Green Falcons face Uruguay and Egypt — making the knockout stages will still represent a great success.
But having seen his side improve with every match during the pre-tournament friendlies, Pizzi is sure they can do well.
“Regardless of the past three defeats I still have very high hopes and confidence we’ll do well,” he said.
“Hopefully this performance sets us up for success in Russia.”
The result arguably does more for Saudi Arabia’s hopes than Germany, who, having gone into the match winless in five matches, left the pitch with still more questions than answers.
“We squandered many chances and allowed many chances today. We were even lucky in the end,” Germany coach Joachim Low said.
He remained optimistic, however.
“I’m not worried because I know that we’re going to keep improving. We’ll be ready when (the World Cup) starts,” Low said. next week.”
Saudi Arabia feeling confident after defeat to Germany
Saudi Arabia feeling confident after defeat to Germany
- Green Falcons early shock world champions in Leverkusen.
- Players in bullish mood ahead of World Cup opener against Russia.
San Siro prepares for last dance with Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony
- Friday’s ceremony will likely be the last major international sporting event hosted at a stadium which is so beloved it is nicknamed ‘Football’s La Scala’ after Milan’s historic opera house
- The iconic old ground is on course to be replaced by a shiny new arena after a century of hosting Inter Milan and AC Milan matches
MILAN: One of the world’s most famous stadiums is set for a last hurrah on the international stage with the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics at the San Siro on Friday.
Long considered one of the temples of football, the San Siro will introduce the Milan-Cortina Games to the world with a ceremony featuring an athletes’ parade held in all four “clusters” of a sprawling Olympics being held across a vast area of northern Italy.
But the iconic old ground is on course to be replaced by a shiny new arena after a century of hosting Inter Milan and AC Milan matches.
In September the local government of Italy’s economic capital approved a 197-million-euro ($229.5 million) sale of just over 28 hectares (70 acres) of public land, on which the San Siro sits, to the two clubs.
Inter and AC Milan will abandon the iconic ground once their new stadium is built, the idea being that it be finished in time to host matches at the 2032 European Championship to be jointly held in Italy and Turkiye.
The two Milan clubs — European football royalty now both owned by American investment funds — — are planning the construction of a modern 71,500-capacity stadium to the immediate west of the current San Siro, on an area currently occupied by matchday car parking and a local park.
Once the new ground is constructed, San Siro will be almost entirely demolished to make way for new parkland, office space and entertainment facilities.
The current stadium no longer meets European football governing body UEFA’s requirements to host major events and was denied the 2027 Champions League final.
That means Friday’s ceremony will likely be the last major international sporting event hosted at a stadium which is so beloved it is nicknamed “Football’s La Scala” after Milan’s historic opera house.
Milanese icon
The San Siro was inaugurated with a derby match between Inter and AC Milan on September 19, 1926 and over the years it has hosted World Cup and European Championship matches, as well as dozens of fixtures for the Italian national team.
Initially owned by AC Milan before being bought by the city in the 1930s, with Inter making it their home in 1947, the San Siro has been renovated several times, with the last major works being carried out ahead of the 1990 World Cup.
That restyling, which added a third tier to the stadium, gave the San Siro the futuristic look — with spiralling external columns and a striking red roof — that still catches the eye over three decades later.
The San Siro also doubles up as one of Italy’s premier concert venues, where some of the world’s biggest pop music stars have strutted their stuff since reggae icon Bob Marley became the first in 1980.
From the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, right up to contemporary superstars Beyonce and Taylor Swift, the stadium attracts massive crowds for summertime performances from international hit machines and local favorites like Grammy-winning rock band Maneskin.
The new stadium should it be built as scheduled by the end of 2030, but with a final project a long way from being approved by the city, nothing is certain, especially with local elections coming next year.
Politicians on the local and national stage have repeatedly expressed anger at the idea of knocking down a symbol of Milan and in 2023 succeeded in torpedoing a previous attempt by the clubs to build a new stadium on the same site.
