Mancini had to apologise for his behaviour during the penalty shootout against South Korea

Saudi Arabia's national team head coach, Roberto Mancini, was involved in a rather ungraceful incident during the penalty shootout in the Asian Cup Round of 16 match against South Korea.

Following Abdulrahman Garib's unsuccessful penalty, which ultimately decided the shootout, Mancini chose not to watch the subsequent kicks and headed to the dressing room in advance. The Italian coach believed that during Garib's kick, the South Korean goalkeeper had come off the goal line and saved it unfairly.

As a result, Mancini had to apologize for his actions, stating:

"I apologize for leaving early; I thought it was all over. I did not want to show disrespect to anyone. I want to thank all my players for what they have done. They are progressing very well."

This marks the second consecutive Asian Cup in which Saudi Arabia has been eliminated in the Round of 16. In 2019, they lost 0-1 to Japan.