Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Paqueta has paid tribute to his predecessor Gabriel Calderon, who was sacked after leading the country to the World Cup.

Paqueta and the Saudis kick off their World Cup campaign against Tunisia on Wednesday but the coach spared a thought for the man who had got them there.

Paqueta told Kicker: "Calderon did a good job.

"He brought through some younger players and left a good spirit behind and, most importantly of all, he was the man who qualified us for the World Cup."