Qatar coach Felix Sanchez acknowledged that his team lacked the firepower in their 1-0 defeat against Saudi Arabia in second semifinal of 24th Arabian Gulf Cup final at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.

"We couldn't score as we lacked the punch inside the box," said Felix, who was visibly disappointed after the defeat.

Abdullah Al Hamdan scored the all-important goal in the 29th minute to end Qatar's campaign in the regional competition.

"Congratulation to Saudi Arabia," he said.

The Asian champions created plenty of chances, more in the second half, but Almoez Ali and Akram Afif couldn't penetrate the resolute Saudi defence.

"They closed the spaces and defended with ten players in the second half," the Spaniard added. "We had many opportunities from all directions, but just couldn't score." Yet, Felix thanked the players for their excellent performance in the tournament and in the semis.

"We played against a team that participated in the FIFA World Cup. We tried our best, but weren't successful this time," said Felix.

Almoezs poor form upfront could be another reason behind Qatar's failure in the tournament, where the home side started with a 2-0 defeat against Iraq.

The top-scorer in the 2019 Asian Cup found the net just once in the four matches including three at the group stages.

Akram remained Qatars top-notch scorer with three while left-back Abdelkarim Hassan netted the only hat-trick for the Annabis.

Qatar seriously missed Almoez's prowess, and Felix missed the opportunity to end the year on a high after the Asian Cup success in January.

"He (Almoez) was tightly marked by the Saudis that limited his effectiveness inside the box. But I am proud of him and other players and the effort they made," said Felix.

Source: QNA

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Sumaica Asad

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