Players of the Saudi Arabia national team have issued a public apology to their fans following the humiliating defeat suffered in the hands of the hosts, Russia in the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Goals from Yuri Gazinsky, Denis Cheryshev (x2), Artem Dzyuba and Alexandr Golovin condemned the Asians to a heavy 5-0 loss in their first match of the tournament.
“We did not expect this scenario. We played preparation matches before the tournament, but things were not going well for Russia,” said Taiseer Al-Jassim, a senior member of the squad.
“We offer apology to the Saudi people. Everything is possible in football and we are determined to change the picture in the next match.”
Also speaking at the end of the game was team captain Osama Hosawi. “The Russian team played (with) mistakes on our part. They also took advantage of the crowd, and they came out with a great victory.”
“We have two matches against Uruguay and Egypt. There is no impossible in football, things are still in our hands,” he added.
Echoing the thoughts of his players, head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, Juan Antonio Pizzi said “We have to review a lot of things in the coming hours and before the next game.”
Saudi Arabia will face Uruguay at the Rostov Arena in their second group game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
