Former Italy coach Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabia national team has achieved an impressive feat, bouncing back from a disappointing 1-1 draw against Indonesia last week to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory over China. The win came despite a challenging start that saw the Saudi team concede an early goal and lose a player to a red card.
The match began with Saudi Arabia falling behind in the 14th minute due to an unfortunate own goal by Ali Lajami. Their situation worsened five minutes later when Mohamed Kanno was sent off, leaving the team with only ten men on the field.
However, the Saudi squad showed remarkable resilience. Hassan Kadesh equalized in the 39th minute, assisted by Nasser Al Dawsarie. The turning point came in the 90th minute when Kadesh scored his second goal of the match, securing the victory for Saudi Arabia. This winning goal was set up by Musab Al Juwayr.
Throughout the intense match, Mancini kept Roma’s right-back Saud Abdulhamid on the field for the entire duration, showcasing his trust in the player.
This victory puts Saudi Arabia in a strong position in Group C of the Asian World Cup 2026 qualifiers, with four points from their first two matches. The group standings now show Japan leading with six points, followed by Saudi Arabia with four, Bahrain with three, Indonesia with two, Australia with one, and China yet to score a point.
