Australia edges Saudi Arabia to win U20 Asian Cup
SHENZHEN, China, March 2, (Xinhua): Steven Hall saved the decisive spot-kick as Australia defeated Saudi Arabia 5-4 in a penalty shootout to win the AFC U20 Asian Cup at the Baoan Sports Center Stadium.
The match ended 1-1 in regular time, with neither team able to break the deadlock in extra time. Both teams converted their first four attempts in the shootout, but Australia scored in the decisive fifth round. At the same time, Saudi Arabia's Bassam Hazazi saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Hall, securing a 5-4 victory for Australia.
Saudi Arabia equalized as Hall was just unable to keep Talal Haji's header from crossing the goal line, with the goal confirmed after a VAR review.
Both sides missed a handful of chances in the second half before a fruitless additional 30 minutes of extra time led to the decisive shootout.
Australia broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when Alexander Badolato's cross into the box was deflected into the path of Louis Agosti, whose shot from just outside the box sailed past Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Hamed Yousef and into the bottom-left corner.
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