Saudi Arabia Secures Late Victory in World Cup Qualifying Amidst Australia’s Stalemate

Australia faced another setback in the World Cup qualifying rounds as they drew 0-0 against Indonesia on Tuesday. The match took place in Jakarta, where Graham Arnold‘s team sought to recover from a previous 1-0 defeat to Bahrain.

Despite a promising moment when Nestory Irankunda hit the post in the 33rd minute, the Australian side could not breach the resolute defense of the hosts. The Indonesians managed to secure another point after previously drawing with Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia showcased their resilience by defeating China 2-1 in a thrilling encounter. After going down to an early own goal by Ali Lajami, the 10-man Saudis rallied to claim victory with a late header from Hassan Kadish in the 90th minute.

In the match against China, Lajami redirected a corner from Fei Nanduo into his own net in the 14th minute. Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Kanno was then sent off for a foul, but the team equalized shortly before halftime when Kadish converted a corner from Nasser Al-Dawsari.

Kadish’s winning goal came after Salem Al-Dawsari struck the crossbar earlier in the game, sealing maximum points for Saudi Arabia, who now sit with four points after their first two games in Group C.

Qatar also had a challenging evening, drawing 2-2 with North Korea in a match that was disrupted by heavy rain. North Korea initially took the lead, but Qatar managed to equalize thanks to a penalty kick from Akram Afif.

As the qualifying rounds continue, the remaining fixtures in Group A feature Kyrgyzstan hosting Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates aiming to build on their win over Qatar as they face Iran. Bahrain is set to host Japan later in the day, while Iraq travels to Kuwait, Palestine takes on Jordan, and South Korea meets Oman in Muscat.