Saudi Arabia Keep World Cup Hopes Alive with Victory Over Bahrain
Saudi Arabian national team claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over Bahrain in Group C's 9th round of AFC World Cup 2026 qualifiers on Thursday, keeping their hopes of securing a ticket to the World Cup alive.
Musab Al-Juwayr opened the score foe the Green falcons in the 16th minute, while second-half substitute Abdelrahman Al-Oboud secured the victory in the 78th minutes.
Saudi Arabia controlled the rhythm and possession of the ball most of the game, but they failed to create clear-cut scoring opportunities.
However, sixteen minutes into the first half, Al-Juwayr capitalizes on Salem Al-Dawsari's cross with a right-footed strike from very close range.
Bahrain players tried to respond, attempting for an equalizer, but the Saudis solid defense and brilliance of goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi stopped them short from scoring.
A minute after the hour-mark, French coach Herve Renard made changes in his squad, introducing trio Abdul-Rahman Al-Oboud, Faisal Al-Gahmedi and Nasser Al-Dawsari as replacements for Mohammed Kanno, Musab Al-Juwayr and Ayman Yahya, respectively.
Seventeen minutes later, substitute Al-Oboud sealed the victory for Saudi Arabia with a right-footed strike from the centre of the box following a fast break.
Bahrain pushed forward hoping to score, but their players failed.
With this result, Saudi Arabia maintain the third place in Group C with 13 points, 3 short of second-places Australia and seven behind leaders Japan.
The Green Falcons will now host Australia in a must-win game in the final round on Tuesday.
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