Despite reaching the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", one of the Saudi national team's stars faced a barrage of criticism after seeing off Qatar.
Saudi Arabia beat Qatar on penalties by a score of 3-2 following a goalless draw in normal time.
Saudi defender Hassan Tambakti copped scathing criticism after missing his penalty against Qatar.
Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Mohamed Kanno and Mukhtar Ali all scored for the Green Falcons, while Tambakti and Firas Al-Buraikan missed theirs.
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For Qatar, Edmilson and Al-Jarehi converted, while Almoez Ali, Jassem Jaber and Khoukhi Boualem missed their kicks. That left Saudi Arabia to book a place in the final, where they will face the UAE next Tuesday.
Tambakti hesitated before his kick and failed to deceive the Qatari goalkeeper, who saved it with ease.
Sports media figure Imad Al-Salmi told the programme Rotana Sport with Walid that Tambakti dealt with the moment with excessive calm, describing him as a "cold" player who misunderstands coolness in execution. He insisted the player was required to shoulder more responsibility, criticising the way he struck the ball and calling it poor.
Media figure Mohamed Al-Enezi reckoned Tambakti's method of taking penalties is nothing new, pointing out that he had scored the same way on previous occasions. But he considered the execution against Qatar unsuccessful, affirming that such decisive moments demand a greater degree of seriousness and power.
Mohamed Al-Sheikh went further still, casting doubt on the choice of Tambakti to take the kick in the first place. His stance and slow movement before shooting leave the player exposed in front of the goalkeeper, Al-Sheikh argued, insisting Tambakti is not among the specialists in taking penalties.