AL RAYYAN, Qatar (The Thursday Times) — Saudi Arabia beat South Korea 3-2 in a friendly at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Friday, their first win over the Koreans in 21 years.
Marwan Al-Sahafi put Saudi Arabia ahead in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. The Al-Ittihad winger ran onto a through ball from Abdullah Al-Hamdan and scored after South Korea’s goalkeeper, Kim Seung-gyu, slipped as he came off his line. It was Al-Sahafi’s first goal for his country in 17 appearances.
Oh Hyeon-gyu equalised two minutes into the second half, turning in a low cross from the right for his ninth international goal. Saudi Arabia then scored twice in three minutes. Mohamed Kanno restored the lead in the 56th minute after a pass from Saud Abdulhamid, and Abdulelah Al-Amri headed in a Nasser Al-Dawsari corner in the 59th.
Lee Jae-sung pulled one back in the 68th minute, finishing a cutback from Hwang Hee-chan, and South Korea pressed for an equaliser. Son Heung-min had the best chance when he seized on a mistake by the Saudi goalkeeper, but he shot over the bar.
The end of a long run
South Korea had not lost to Saudi Arabia since August 2005, when the Saudis won 1-0 in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. The sides last met in the round of 16 at the 2023 Asian Cup, when South Korea came from behind to draw 1-1 and won the penalty shootout 4-2.
The result was all the more striking on paper. South Korea are 32nd in the FIFA rankings and Saudi Arabia 55th, and the Koreans started with their senior stars, including Son, Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan.
It was a fifth match in charge for South Korea’s interim coach, Robert Moreno, whose record now stands at two wins, a draw and two defeats. Saudi Arabia are coached by Georgios Donis.
South Korea stay in Qatar to play the hosts at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on Tuesday. The friendlies come in a week when Gulf security has reshaped the region’s fixtures, with Australia’s match against Jordan moved from Amman to Doha.
