DOHA: Three-time champion Saudi Arabia confirmed their place in the round of 16 after clinching a comfortable 2-0 victory over nine-man Kyrgyzstan in the second Group F match of the 2023 Asian Cup at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium here, last night (early morning Malaysian time).
The loss saw Kyrgyzstan remain without any points after two games and The White Falcons’ hope depends on securing a win against Oman in their last match this Thursday and favourable results to advance as one of the best-ranked third-place teams.
Kyrgyzstan found themselves in trouble after just nine minutes when they were reduced to 10 men with defender Aizar Akmatov receiving a red card following a reckless challenge on midfielder Sami Al Naji just outside the box.
The opening goal for Saudi Arabia came in the 35th minute when midfielder Mohammed Kanno converted a cross from Saud Abdulhamid who was first to the rebound following Abdulelah Al Malki’s powerful strike from long-range cannoned off the post.
Kyrgyzstan led by Stefan Tarkovic faced further challenges with another red card for the 19-year-old midfielder Kimi Merk just five minutes after the second half resumed following a heavy challenge on defender Hassan Tambakti which saw he hobbled off and replaced by Saleh Ali Shehri.
Kanno nearly doubled his tally in the 72nd minute when he rose unopposed to head Al Burayk’s delivery from the corner past Tokotaev but was denied by the post.
Approaching the final whistle, Roberto Mancini’s men found their second goal of the night through substitute Faisal Al Ghamdi in the 77th minute.
The young midfielder fired an effort from the edge of the area that proved too powerful for Tokotaev whose attempt to punch it away ended up with the ball in the back of the net instead.
Two substitutes winger Abdulrahman Ghareeb and defender Ali Al Bulayhi could have been on the scoresheet with the former curling a shot from the box toward the far corner and the latter powering a header from close range, only for both to see their efforts saved by Tokotaev.
Saudi Arabia who collected six points at the top concludes their Group F in a top-of-the-table clash with Thailand (four points) at Education City Stadium on Thursday while Oman (one point) plays Kyrgyzstan at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on the same day.
The last time Saudi Arabia emerged as champions was in 1996 and the 2007 edition was the last time they played in the final. – BERNAMA
