Donis blames amount of time in charge of Saudi Arabia for draw with Uruguay

Georgios Donis took over the role in April from Herve Renard
Georgios Donis took over the role in April from Herve RenardAmanda Perobelli / Reuters

Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis said he had not been in charge long enough to ⁠ensure the squad have the tactical flexibility needed to deal with an experienced Uruguay side after their 1-1 draw with the South ‌Americans at the World Cup on Monday.

Donis replaced Herve Renard in late April, and their ‌Group H opener at Miami Stadium was his first competitive ‌game with the team after three pre-tournament friendlies.

"For us, within three weeks we've ‌been trying to set up our game, build up our game ‌and have a better spirit," said Donis.

"When we're faced with certain opponents, getting one point is a positive event and this is a booster for our psychology.

"Currently, ‌I'm trying to learn my team, I'm trying ⁠to learn my players and get ‌to know them. I see how they react and behave, and what I've ​seen is that, due to the lack of time, we cannot be flexible during the match.

"We know how to play 4-4-2 ​or 4-3-2-1, but we must be able to play with three midfielders or with five defenders. At the moment, unfortunately, we're not that ⁠flexible. It takes time to ​get to know how to do it."

Saudi Arabia - Uruguay match momentum
Saudi Arabia - Uruguay match momentumOpta by StatsPerform

The Saudis were on top for much of the first half and took the lead in the 41st minute when Abdulelah Alamri capitalised on an error by Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Uruguay ‌dominated after the interval and forced the Saudis to defend deep. With 10 minutes remaining, Maxi Araujo slid in to score a deserved equaliser.

"We can say in the first half we had good control over the play, and we had opportunities to score without being very decisive," said Donis.

"In the second half, if someone analyses it, one can say that a possible scenario was that we had the lead and we thought mostly defensive. We had already scored, and we wanted to ‌keep that.

"Were we, perhaps, tired in the second half? It appeared to ​be that in the second half we didn't have the ‌same intensity. Our opponent was able to go deeper into our half.

"We didn't show enough self-confidence to keep possession of the ball in order to change their tempo, so that meant that we had pressure near our box. Thankfully, we had an excellent goalkeeper ⁠and an excellent defence today.

"I'm trying ⁠to learn my team better ‌and to see how we think."

Check out the match report from the 1-1 draw with Flashscore.

FIFA World Cup 2026

The 2026 World Cup is taking place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament features 48 national teams and is played at 16 modern stadiums.

Match schedule and times | Group tables | How to watch the World Cup | World Cup Format | Past winners of the World Cup

Chances are you’re about to lose.

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au