Saudi Arabia, considered one of the favorites to win the Asian Cup, almost became a victim of an upset.
Saudi Arabia, ranked 56th in the FIFA rankings, barely won three points against Oman, ranked 74th,
thanks to a dramatic goal in extra time in the second half in the first match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
Saudi Arabia defeated Oman 2-1 in the first match of Group F of the tournament held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on the 17th (Korean time). 카지노사이트랭크
Saudi Arabia, who had conceded the first goal through a penalty kick in the 14th minute of the first half and was dragged down until the 78th minute,
managed to make up for it and then achieved a dramatic victory with a dramatic goal in the 96th minute.
As a result, Saudi Arabia earned three points and took the lead in Group F, along with Thailand,
which defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-0. Oman and Kyrgyzstan fell to third and fourth places, respectively.
Saudi Arabia created a sensation at the 2022 Qatar World Cup by defeating powerful Argentina in the group stage. In addition, star coach Roberto Mancini,
who dominated the European stage by leading prestigious European teams such as the Italian national team,
Manchester City, and Inter Milan, was appointed for this tournament. Coach Mancini is receiving an astronomical salary of around $28 million (approximately 37.4 billion won) from the Saudi national team,
the highest among the head coaches of participating countries. Expectations were high for him,
who dominated the European stage, and Saudi Arabia had great aspirations to win the Asian Cup for the fourth time in history.
However, these brilliant expectations for Saudi Arabia almost turned into great disappointment when the lid was opened.
Oman, considered a relative underdog and underdog, once again caused Saudi Arabia to struggle.
In fact, Oman was behind Saudi Arabia in terms of power, but showed a formidable performance in head-to-head matches, winning 2 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses in 7 clashes.
It was like that today too. At a corner kick opportunity following Oman’s counterattack in the first half,
Saudi defender Hassan Tambakhti caught Oman’s Mussen Al Ghasani, who was rushing into the box, and knocked him down.
Ultimately, this scene was declared a penalty kick after an on-field review. Salah Al Yahyai, who took the kicker, finished calmly and Oman took the lead first.
After that, the game situation went smoothly. Oman tried to protect the first goal with a counterattack after defending, and Saudi Arabia tried to find a way out, but was unable to open the goal.
In the end, Saudi Arabia scored its first goal in the 33rd minute of the second half. Abdulrahman Garev balanced the game at 1-1 with a shot aimed low at the goal after a brilliant dribble that beat as many as three people in the penalty box.
After that, the score remained tied 1-1 until regular time. And in the 96th minute, 6 minutes into the 8-minute extra time,
a dramatic comeback goal was scored. Razami headed Garev’s corner kick. And Al Bulaich dramatically cut the ball into the net with a header.
The goal was initially ruled offside. However, after a video review (VAR), the final decision was made that the scorer,
Bulaich, was onside, and the score was recognized as is. Afterwards, Saudi Arabia defended the remaining time well and completed their first Asian Cup victory with a thrilling come-from-behind victory.
There were no surprises in other Group F games. Thailand won 2-0 in the first leg of Group F of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Qatar Asian Cup against Kyrgyzstan held at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 16th (Korean time).
Thailand overcame Kyrgyzstan’s challenge with Chaided scoring multiple goals. The quick transition from defense to attack was very sharp.
Kyrgyzstan showed lethargy from the first game and could not escape the evaluation of being the weakest team in Group F.