KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Arabia defeated Iraq 3-1 on Saturday to finish top of Group B in the Arabian Gulf Cup and book their place in the last four of the Kuwait tournament.

Needing just a point to progress, two late goals from substitute Abdullah Al-Hamdan, following an earlier strike from his Al-Hilal colleague Salem Al-Dawsari, produced victory and meant that the Green Falcons stayed on course for a first regional title since 2004.

Both teams had chances in the first half, but 10 minutes into the second, Herve Renard’s men — who lost the opening game against Bahrain — got the breakthrough they had been looking for. Ibrahim Bayesh was judged by VAR to have handled in the area to give Saudi Arabia a penalty.

Al-Dawsari had missed his last two spot kicks for the national team, but the 2022 Asian player of the year showed few signs of nerves as he stroked the ball home to give his team a vital lead.

However, after 64 minutes Iraq were level. Mohanad Ali turned Ali Al-Bulaihi inside the area to shoot home inside the near post to give the holders real hope.

There were plenty of nerves among the Kingdom’s fans but the team restored their lead with nine minutes remaining following a delightful strike. Sultan Al-Ghannam pulled the ball back from the right side of the area for Al-Hamdan to take a touch and curl the ball into the top corner of the Iraqi net.

Five minutes later and it was all over. Al-Dawsari skipped clear of challenges in the Iraqi half to feed Al-Hamdan on the left corner of the area and the forward rolled the ball into the opposite side of the net with a precise low shot.

The result meant Saudi Arabia finished top of the group with six points, above Bahrain who lost 2-1 to bottom team Yemen.

The Green Falcons take on hosts Kuwait in the semifinals on Tuesday, while Bahrain meet Group A winners Oman.

LONDON: Few players will want the winter break in the Saudi Pro League to be over more than Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

Despite his team Damac sitting in 10th place in the Saudi Pro League table, N’Koudou has netted eight goals in 13 games so far; only Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Aleksandar Mitrovic have scored more in the league this season.

The Cameroon international primarily operates as a winger but since moving to Damac in the summer of 2023, N’Koudou has become a dangerous finisher. Before arriving in Saudi Arabia, he had only scored more than five goals in a season once in his career. At Damac, he has done it twice in a row.

N’Koudou hit the ground running in impressive fashion after his move from Turkish side Besiktas, bagging 14 goals in his first 16 games, including a sensational match-winning brace against then-reigning Saudi champions Al-Ittihad last December. The Damac No. 10 credits his prolific form to the influence of his coach, ex-AC Milan defender Cosmin Contra.

“The coach has given me so much responsibility and freedom on the field,”  N’Koudou told Arab News. “He knows I have experience, so he has just let me play my game and be happy on the pitch and off the pitch.

“I have had many great coaches in my career so far but before being a coach, (Contra) is a great man. He’s honest and if he has something to say he will say it to you straight.

“He’s really passionate about the game because he was a player before. He understands us and I think that’s maybe the difference between some of the coaches who weren’t players; he played at a good level in Milan. 

“(Now) I feel free and can enjoy my game. The coach helped me a lot and that’s why I think everything happened for me. I scored 15 goals last season and hope I can do the same this season too.”

It could have been even better in 2023-24 for N’Koudou, who tailed off in the second-half of the season, scoring just once in his last 14 games after his electric start. The Cameroon international firmly believes it was fatigue from the mid-season Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast that was responsible for the slowdown.

“When I came back from AFCON I was so tired; my legs were dead,” N’Koudou said. “I always try to recover as much as I can but sometimes you just can’t.

“Damac is a smaller team and they relied more on me to be the one to score goals or make an assist but it was more difficult (after AFCON).”

Without a continental tournament to disrupt his form this season, could N’Koudou make a serious tilt at the Saudi Pro League Golden boot?

“Honestly I’m not someone who looks at the numbers,” N’Koudou said. “These guys — Cristiano, Mitrovic, Benzema — they are strikers, they play on big teams. They fight for the title.

“I’m a winger, and sometimes No. 10, so for me it’s a little bit different. But I always try to do my best for the team and I will try to score more than last season and then I will see how far I can go. I will try to be there.”

Some of N’Koudou’s best performances for Damac have been against the league’s top sides. Having played in Ligue 1 for Marseille and Monaco, and in the English Premier League for Tottenham, he insists he doesn’t treat these matches any differently.

“I have been used to playing against big players since I was 17, 18. It doesn’t feel surprising to me, like it might for other players who don’t have this experience. I am not shy or scared to play. You still have to be able to express yourself, whoever the opponent — even when it is big players or big teams.”

Although he is one of Damac’s most experienced players, N’Koudou says he is a quiet presence in the club’s dressing-room. The Cameroon winger has certainly done most of his talking on the pitch since arriving in Khamis Mushait, winning over fans not only with high-energy displays but with his sunny disposition too. N’Koudou always plays with a smile on his face, something he attributes to the example set by his football heroes growing up.

“I loved Robinho, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo (Nazario),” he said. “When I was young, I saw these kinds of players, they enjoyed football and played with a smile. For me, this is football.

“It is the pleasure of playing before anything else, the same way I played with my friends as a kid or as people play at the weekend with their mates. This is why I smile too.”

N’Koudou hopes that he and his teammates have more to smile about come the end of the season and promised Damac supporters that he will do everything he can to try to take the club up the Saudi Pro League table.

“For a club like Damac our first priority is to stay in the league at the start of every season. And as a professional football player you want to be competitive — to try to go as far as you can.

“I think we have a lot to improve on from the first part (of the season), but I think if we can make a better finish than last season it’s going to be good for the club. We will see how far we can go.”