Saudi Arabia beat Japan to stay perfect in World Cup qualifiers
Saudi Arabia reached a narrow 1-0 win over Japan at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Thursday to maintain their fantastic start to the Asian Qualifiers.
The host repeated their victory on the same ground after four years thanks to
Firas
Al-Buraikan
’s fantastic goal in the 71st minute.
It was the Saudis' third consecutive win in the third and final round of the Asian qualifications in Group B, while
Japan
suffered their second setback after losing 1-0 to
Oman
earlier in the competition.
The
Saudis
controlled possession from the start, but it was Japan who created the first real chance when
Gaki Shibasaki
's attempt from more than 30 yards was turned away for a corner by Saudi goalkeeper
Mohamed al-Owais
.
Abdullah Madu
responded with a wonderful header from a cross from
Abdulrahman Ghareeb
, but it was saved by Japan goalkeeper
Shuichi
Gonda
.
Al-Owais and Gonda continued to shine for their respective teams till
Al-Buraikan
broke the deadlock with a smooth strike.
In the 64th minute, after replacing Saleh
al-Shehri
, the 21-year-old striker took advantage of a misdirected back pass from
Shibakasi
, moved several yards down the left side, and slid the ball through Gonda's legs.
Coach
Hajime Moriyasu
's men fought all out for the rest of the game in search of an equalizer, but they were unable to create any significant opportunities in the final 20 minutes.
Saudi Arabia will next host
China PR
, while the Samurai Blue are left with a difficult task against
Australia
.
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