In all moments, I want the players to execute our processes, says Rui Bento

The Kuwait head coach was pleased with the dominant performance against Pakistan.

Kuwait sailed to victory with a comprehensive performance against Pakistan in the SAFF Championship 2023. Rui Bento's men showcased their frightening attacking mentality from the offset. Kuwait scored three goals in the first half through well-worked openings, blistering counter-attacks, and smartly taken finishes.

A first-half brace from the electric Mobarak Alfaneeni decided the outcome of the game early. Hasan Alanezi opened the scoring in the 13th minute, and Alrashidi added a fourth in the latter stages of the second half. While Pakistan created a fair share of openings themselves, they were effectively shut out by the well-drilled Kuwaiti back-line. The midfielders played a key role in identifing spaces and executing through balls.

With this win, Kuwait climb to the top of Group A with two wins in two matches, and look favourites to top the Group after having qualified for the semi-finals already.

Thoughts on the performance

A visibly pleased Rui Bento highlighted that it was not all smooth sailing for The Blue Wave, "It is difficult for the players. We are in the end of the season, we played two difficult games in African countries before India. The weather is difficult, the humidity is high, and I need to congratulate the players for their performance."

Topping the group

Having accumulated six points with a goal-difference of seven, Kuwait stand favourites to top Group A. They next play India in what could be a challenging follow-up fixture. Rui Bento talked about controlling the processes and the importance of player recovery, "I look at my team first, and I know we can do better. It is important for the players to recover first. We can only control ourselves and what we can do in terms of our ability, skills and strengths. We will work on our game, our system, our processes. This is the most important for me and my players."

Squad depth

Rui Bento rung in the changes and named an amended starting XI, which proved to be equally effective indicating their frightening bench strength. The Portuguese spoke on giving ample opportunities to his players, "It is very important that we change the players, because the players are tired. All the players need to feel that they have a chance of making it to the first team, so I give all of them an opportunity to prove that. I have confidence in all my players, and have picked my squad accordingly."

Transitions and rapid counter attacks

Throughout the match, Kuwait looked a threat on the counter-attack and stretched the Pakistan defenders out of position with natural ease. When asked if this is his ideal setup or the player strengths which made him pick this tactic, Rui Bento said, "It is part of our process. We have one football vision and I am happy that what I proposed is what we executed so far in the SAFF Championship.

"I saw more pace injected in the transitions in the last two games, and that is what I expected from them. It is important that the players understand this and play well, and lift the team. I still believe we can improve more in all aspects. The players need to build up their physicality with training sessions," the Kuwait head coach added."

Plans ahead of India

While India have picked up good momentum with an unbeaten run and are playing their best football in years, Rui Bento highlighted the importance of maintaining a tactical vision for the team, "The first thing is to ensure that the players recover and rest well. We will approach them with the same goal, play well first of all. The players should enjoy their time out on the pitch. We will assess our opponents. If you adapt your tactics as per the needs of your opponent, you don't have one vision for your team. In all moments, I want the players to execute our processes. We will stick to this against India."