We played as a unit, says Saudi Arabia’s Al Burayk

Dubai: Teamwork was the major reason for Saudi Arabia securing their second win in Group E of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, and Mohammed Al Burayk is hoping the Green Falcons maintain their fine form in their bid for a fourth Continental title. 

After securing wins against DPR Korea and Lebanon, Saudi Arabia top Group E with six points and the knockout round is in sight, having failed to make it past the group stage in the past two editions. 

Juan Antonio Pizzi's team defeated DPR Korea 4-0 on Matchday One and followed that up with a 2-0 triumph over Lebanon on Saturday.

“Just as we did in the previous match, we played as a unit, with one heart as we want to go as far as possible in this tournament,” Al Burayk told the-AFC.com after beating Lebanon at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Saturday.

“We always want to do better, and hopefully we can work hard and follow the coach's instructions to get even better.”


Match Highlights - January 12

Saudi Arabia will face Qatar in their final group match on Thursday and the Al Hilal defender is hoping their travelling fans continue showing their support in the team’s quest to end their group campaign with a perfect record.

“There are not enough words to thank our fans who have been behind us in our two matches. We hope to see them at the next match against Qatar and most importantly, in the Round of 16 too."

“I’ve said it before, we are taking it one game at a time. We have a really important match against Qatar, and we want to take the three points and finish with a perfect record. After that, we can think about the Round of 16 match.

“Of course, when you finish top of the group, you are more confident and that gives you an advantage.

“There are no teams I prefer to face (in the knockout stage). If you want to win the title, you need to beat every team in your way. I don’t consider any team to be average; any team that made it this far is a strong opponent.”


Source: the-afc.com