Saudi coach feels the shame in heavy defeat by Russia

TIL Desk Sports/ Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi described a “feeling of shame” after his side suffered a 5-0 hammering at the hands of hosts Russia in the World Cup’s opening game at the Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday.

“The opposing team really didn’t have to make a huge effort to win this game,” he said after a one-sided showing that marked a dream start for the home team in front of a capacity crowd.”We have now to forget this feeling of shame and start thinking about the next match.

“Yet given Saudi Arabia’s high turnover of coaches, including a previous mid-World Cup sacking, the Argentine-born Pizzi could well be on his way before he gets a chance to try and rectify the situation. He conceded questions about his future after the heavy defeat were justified.

“The way I feel right now makes that a valid point but whatever happens I’ve got my philosophy and I’ll try to do as best I can. I trust in our plans and I trust in my players and I trust we’ll have a better performance in our next game,” he said at the post-match news conference.