Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt
SAITAMA — Saudi Arabia secured a valuable point in their push for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, holding off a dominant Japan side to earn a 0-0 draw at Saitama Stadium on Tuesday in Group C of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26.
The result lifts Hervé Renard's Green Falcons to 10 points, following their 2-0 win over China PR last week in Riyadh.
They remain firmly in the race for the second automatic qualification spot, behind already-qualified Japan, who now have 20 points from eight matches.
Despite making six changes to the starting lineup that beat Bahrain to seal World Cup qualification, Japan controlled the match, peppering the Saudi defense with chances throughout the game.
Daichi Kamada returned to the XI and nearly made an instant impact, feeding Daizen Maeda in the ninth minute.
The Celtic forward beat goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi but struck the left post. Minutes later, Maeda missed another golden opportunity after a bursting run by Keito Nakamura.Maeda continued to press and hustle the Saudi defense, coming close again in the 18th minute, only to shoot too close to Al Aqidi.Saudi Arabia struggled for rhythm in the opening half but managed one clear look at goal when Mohannad Al Shanqiti headed over from a rare foray forward.Japan resumed their pressure shortly after, with Takefusa Kubo sending a long-range effort over the bar.In the second half, Japan continued to dominate possession but were unable to find a breakthrough.Wataru Endo and Ko Itakura both missed opportunities with headers, while Maeda remained a constant threat but couldn't convert.The closest the Samurai Blue came to scoring was in the 81st minute, when Kamada released Junya Ito, whose shot was expertly tipped over by Al Aqidi to preserve the clean sheet.Hiroki Ito fired high from distance in the closing minutes, and Saudi Arabia nearly snatched a late winner after a poor backpass, only for Zion Suzuki to clear just in time ahead of Turki Al Ammar.The draw maintains Japan's unbeaten run in the qualifiers while offering Saudi Arabia a hard-earned and morale-boosting result ahead of the remaining group fixtures.
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