Saudi Arabia ready to take on Algeria in 2021 Arab Cup U-20 final
Assistant coach of Saudi team aware of opponent’s abilities, confident in his team’s strength
The assistant coach of the Saudi youth football team has congratulated upcoming opponents Algeria on reaching the final of the Arab Cup U-20 tournament.
Majed Al-Tufail said that the young north African players were technically and physically strong and would provide tough opposition in Tuesday’s showdown.
The final will take place at Cairo International Stadium after Saudi Arabia defeated hosts Egypt and Algeria overcame Tunisia in the semifinals.
“I congratulate the two teams on reaching the final, and undoubtedly they deserve it after the outstanding levels of performances they have displayed in recent rounds. The Algerian national team is strong and possesses excellent qualities at all levels, technically and physically.
“Our team is also strong and deserved to reach the final. We have played strong matches throughout the tournament, and achieved good and positive results, and in the end we hope to be on the podium as champions,” he added.
Algeria’s coach Mohammed Lassat was expecting a fiercely competitive match and praised the Saudi team for overcoming Egypt in the semifinal.
He said: “Everyone has benefited from participating in this tournament. All the teams have gained a lot of experience. Our goal is to win the cup, and in the end, we will offer our congratulations to the winning team.”
Confident Brazil battle Peru in Copa America semifinals
Defending Copa America champions Brazil are still regarded as the team to beat — not bad for a tournament some of their players didn’t even want to be in. Few expect that favorite tag to change as Brazil get ready for Monday’s semifinal against Peru,
a team that the Seleção thrashed 4-0 two weeks ago in the group stage. The winner at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro will play Saturday’s final at the historic Maracana Stadium against Argentina or Colombia, which play on Tuesday. “It is obvious we are favorites for being at home, but we need to know how to deal with that,” Brazil midfielder Fred said at a news conference on Sunday. “Players want to have the match of their lives against Brazil. The last one (beating Chile 1-0 in the quarterfinals) was tough, but the next will be tougher. Peru will be motivated, trying to win, it will be the match of their lives.” Brazil and Peru played in the 2019 Copa America final, with host Brazil winning 3-1 before nearly 70,000 fans. Monday’s match will be played without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two key strikers won’t be playing in the semifinal. Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus and Peru’s André Carrillo (against Paraguay) were sent off during the quarterfinals. Brazil’s Everton, one of the top scorers at the 2019 Copa America edition, and veteran Christian Cueva are set to take their places. Brazil advanced to the semifinals after a hard-fought win with 10 men for almost all of the second half against Chile. Peru recovered from its 4-0 defeat against the hosts by beating Colombia and Venezuela and securing a draw with Ecuador. It reached the semifinals on penalties after a 3-3 draw with Paraguay. “We will have the chance to face Brazil and correct all the things that went wrong in the first match,” Peru coach Ricardo Gareca said. “Brazil continues to be a very powerful team, this Brazil is very good. Our team is also improving.”