A Regional Lift: Koen Casteels Hails Al Qadsiah’s “Important” Derby Win for the “Whole Region”
Al Qadsiah underlined their ambitions in the Saudi Pro League with a commanding 2-0 win over rivals Al Ettifaq on Saturday. Goalkeeper Koen Casteels highlighted the importance of the win.
Fresh from the win, Casteels said, “Overall, for the whole region, it was a very important game. Also, for use as a club, for our owners, for our fans, everyone in the region.”
For the side getting used to life in the Saudi Pro League, the win was crucial for their confidence and validation as they look forward to the remainder of the season. Casteels acknowledged this, saying, “So, it’s always nice to win a derby like this. A very solid performance from us; we controlled the whole game, I think. Was a great feeling to get this win.”
The Belgian goalkeeper is one of the summer signings arriving at Al Qadsiah as they prepared for life in the top flight. The shot-stopper has started to repay the faith of the club and hierarchy in him with brilliant performances. Casteels himself has been impressed with life in the Saudi Pro League.
“It’s way better than I expected. The expectations, you don’t know really what to expect, so I’m really enjoying it. We have a good team, a nice team with good colleagues, good teammates, a club with ambition. And, yeah, my family and I are really happy here.”
Al Qadsiah, says Koen Casteels, have to kick on from this win and build on it in subsequent matches and for the remainder of the season, “Because if you lose that game then this victory doesn’t mean a lot. We need to step on the gas and get this one more win before the international break and then three more to go before the winter break.
“It’s a good winning streak, but we need to keep on doing it. And we will see where we can end up.”
Al Qadsiah aim to use the confidence they gained from the derby and embark on a winning run. Currently in fifth place on the table with 16 points, they will look to pick up steam as the midway point of the season approaches and leverage their consistency to challenge at the top end of the Saudi Pro League.
