English coach Des Buckingham, manager of Al-Kholoud FC, expressed his deep disappointment following his team's 2-1 defeat to Al-Najma on Saturday evening in the 22nd round of the Saudi Professional League. This result was not just a loss of three points, but also a missed opportunity to improve the team's position in the league standings.
During the post-match press conference, Buckingham did not hide his disappointment, noting that his team was fully aware of the difficulty of the match. He explained, "We knew the game wouldn't be easy, especially since Al-Najma came into the match with renewed confidence after changing their coach and acquiring significant reinforcements during the last winter transfer window, which gave them an extra boost.".
Buckingham added that his players performed well tactically and created numerous scoring opportunities, but failed to convert them into goals. He summed up the situation with a poignant statement: “When you don’t score goals, you get punished.” He emphasized that, considering the overall match statistics, his team was superior in many aspects, but ultimately, in football, the final result is what decides everything.
The context of the match and its importance in the Roshan League
This match comes amidst an exceptional season for the Saudi Professional League, which has garnered global attention thanks to its attraction of international stars and a remarkably high level of competition. In this context, every match, especially those between teams striving to improve their positions in the middle and lower ranks, takes on added importance. For Al-Najma, this victory was historic by all accounts, marking their first win of the season after a long run of negative results that included 15 defeats and 5 draws, thus offering them a glimmer of hope in their battle to avoid relegation.
The expected impact of the result on both teams
Domestically, this result will provide a huge morale boost for Al-Najma's players and fans, and could prove to be a turning point in their season. For Al-Kholoud, however, this loss to the bottom-ranked team puts them under immense pressure and makes their task even more difficult in the remaining league matches. Coach Buckingham must now regroup and address the issue of missed opportunities that cost his team valuable points, in order to maintain the team's stability and achieve their goals in what has been one of the most competitive seasons in Saudi football history.
