The painful blows keep coming for Saudi Arabia at the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27". Another player has left the camp through injury, piling more trouble onto Greek coach Georgios Donis as he chases the title.
Read also.. Back in the fifth edition.. Oman hands the Saudi Arabia national team an achievement absent for 47 years
Less than 24 hours earlier, Saudi Arabia had thrashed Oman 3-0 on Saturday evening in the second round, sealing their place in the semi-finals. The injuries soured the celebrations and threw the technical staff's plans into disarray.
Against Oman, Alaa Al-Haji hurt his knee and Hassan Kadesh suffered a thigh muscle injury. Both setbacks sparked concern inside the Saudi camp, with the decisive stages of the tournament looming.
Donis addressed both problems at the post-match press conference. He described Al-Haji's injury as a difficult one and expected him to be sidelined for around three weeks. On Kadesh, he said he was waiting on the medical examinations to gauge the severity and whether the player could carry on with the national team.
The wait ended hours later. Saudi Arabia's medical staff confirmed Kadesh had been ruled out of the camp after his injury against Oman, making him the third player to leave the squad, following Nawaf Al-Aqidi and Alaa Al-Haji.
Al-Aqidi had picked up an elbow injury in the first-round clash with Kuwait, before Al-Haji and Kadesh joined him on the sidelines. The absences keep mounting for Saudi Arabia, who must now cope with a thinning squad and keep the rest of their players fit ahead of the semi-final.