Hervé Renard, the Saudi national team coach, said after the"Green Falcons" lost to the Moroccan reserve team by a single goal on Monday evening,"I spent years in Morocco, and the national team plays great football, and now it is one of the best teams in the world, even Brazil is afraid to face it. I wish it success in the Africa Cup of Nations."

The French coaching staff also revealed, in the press conference following the Morocco-Saudi Arabia match in the “Arab Cup”, details of his seemingly angry conversation with Abdullah Hamdan, the “Green” player, after he missed a penalty kick in the match against Morocco.

Renard said: “Abdullah is like a son to me, but whoever makes a mistake at home is punished. This does not mean that I do not respect him, but he has to learn this evening. Even the biggest players have missed penalties, but we have to respect that. This match is over, and now we have to focus on what’s next.”

The Saudi national team coach added: “Abdullah started playing with me when he was 18 years old. He is a young player with talent, and I only told him the truth.”

The Saudi national team will face their Palestinian counterparts in the quarter-finals of the “Arab Cup”, while the Moroccan reserve team will play against the Syrian national team in the same round.