DUBAI: Saudi Arabia U-23 coach Luigi Di Biagio has expressed his pride at the technical level displayed by players despite a 2-0 loss to South Korea in the 2026 Asian Games football competition on Tuesday night.

The result left Saudi Arabia in second place behind the Koreans in Group D, and the Green Falcons will now face Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals on Sept. 25.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Di Biagio highlighted that his team had faced a strong continental opponent that included three players who participated in the 2026 World Cup. He also said that Saudi players appeared cohesive during the first half, which ended in a goalless draw, before the Korean team capitalized on its experience to find spaces and score two goals.

Di Biagio said that South Korea and hosts Japan remained among the most favored teams in the tournament, and that he had given the opportunity to a number of young players at the Asian Games in an effort to gain more experience, while other teams were competing with stronger squads.

On the last-eight clash, Di Biagio said that Uzbek football had been developing rapidly in recent years: “It is overseen by my friend (Fabio) Cannavaro, who leads the first team, and he will certainly support the (U-23) team and the federation he works for.

“I see Friday’s match as a tough one, and it comes at a tight time, less than 72 hours (after the match against South Korea). We will work on recovering quickly and preparing to win and move forward.”