Hosts Saudi Arabia came back strongly in the second half to defeat 10-man Vietnam 3-1 in Riyadh on September 2 in their opening third World Cup 2022 Qualifier of the Asian region.
Hosts Saudi Arabia came back strongly in the second half to defeat 10-man Vietnam 3-1 in Riyadh on September 2 in their opening third World Cup 2022 Qualifier of the Asian region.
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| Duy Manh (in red jersey) played well before being disqualified from the game. (Photo: SAFF) |
Saudi Arabia that have five times qualified for World Cup finals quickly bounced back with the pressing tactic, but they could not break Vietnam’s defence line.
The home team had to rely on long shots and high balls, however, their shots on target did not make it difficult for goalkeeper Tan Truong.
After the intervals, coach Park Hang-seo’s men looked confident to resist continued pressure from hosts Saudi Arabia. But Duy Manh’s red card after a hand ball in the box changed the course of the game.
Salem Al Dawsari and Saleh Al Shehri neatly converted their penalties while Yaseer Al Shahran headed home, securing three points for Saudi Arabia.
Losing 1-3 in the first match, Park’s men will fly back to Hanoi to take on Australian side on September 7. Australia earlier trounced China 3-0.
Saudi Arabia will travel to Muscat to face Oman who earlier beat Japan 1-0 in their opening game.
