MELBOURNE: Saudi Arabia had a goal disallowed in added time in a scoreless draw with Australia, a result that did neither side any favors in their bid to qualify for World Cup 2026.
Despite several chances in front of a sold out AAMI Park in Melbourne, the breakthrough both teams desperately needed never came.
The Saudis and their new French coach Herve Renard thought they had won in the 93rd minute when Sultan Al-Ghannam rifled home from just inside the box.
But the flag went up, with one of his teammates offside.
“We had some good opportunities but we have to go give our opponent credit. First half we didn’t play very well,” said Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.
“We were not very good with the ball while they were sharp and energetic.
“We improved significantly in the second half, which is good,” he added.
“Overall, it’s a point and we move forward but certainly we can improve.”
The stalemate played into the hands of Group C leaders Japan and opened the door for Bahrain to leapfrog them as Asian qualifying reached the halfway mark.
Australia and the Saudis both have six points, four behind table-toppers Japan who can stretch their lead further when they meet Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday.
Bahrain, on five points, host China later in Riffa and will move into second spot if they win.
Just the top two seal their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America, with third and fourth forced into another round of Asian qualifying.
Australia must now lift themselves for a difficult trip to Bahrain next week, while Saudi Arabia travel to Indonesia.
Popovic made just one change from the team that drew with Japan in Saitama last month with Standard Liege midfielder Aiden O’Neill in for Luke Brattan.
Renard, who was appointed a fortnight ago in place of Roberto Mancini, swung the axe with just four survivors from their last match, a goalless draw with Bahrain.
Both sides started at a frenetic pace and in a big moment on 12 minutes the referee awarded Australia a penalty after Mitch Duke clashed heads with goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar who came out to clear the ball.
But VAR showed the infringement was outside the box.
The first decent effort did not come until the 27th minute when Saudi midfielder Nasser Al-Dawsari whipped in a shot from a tight angle. Goalkeeper Joe Gauci saved at the near post.
Gauci made another crucial stop on the cusp of half-time, charging off his line to pluck the ball off the feet of Feras Albrikan in a one-on-one situation.
Australia had the brighter second half, creating far more chances with Riley McGree and Duke whipping in shots that were blocked.
They had a glorious opportunity with seven minutes left when substitute Brandon Borrello beat the offside trap.
But instead of shooting he opted to pass and the chance was wasted, before the last-minute drama with the disallowed goal.

LONDON: While scanning Herve Renard’s first squad list since his return as boss of the Saudi national team, three names stand out immediately. Twenty-four of the 27 players play their club football in the Kingdom; the exceptions are Saud Abdulhamid, who is at Roma, and Faisal Al-Ghamdi and Marwan Al-Sahafi, both currently on loan at Belgian side Beerschot.

Saudi players plying their trade in Europe are not the norm; only a handful have previously made the switch from the Kingdom. And even they — from Sami Al-Jaber at Wolves to Salem Al-Dawsari at Villarreal — only featured sparingly before returning to their homeland.

But at Beerschot, 23-year-old Al-Ghamdi and 20-year-old Al-Sahafi have been thrust immediately into first-team action and have produced influential performances for the team, which is fighting to stay in the Belgian Pro League.

“It was not difficult to make the switch for us,” Al-Ghamdi told Arab News in an exclusive interview from Beerschot’s training ground. “We had goals and dreams of reaching the highest levels in Europe.

“Some things are definitely different from playing in Saudi — like the environment and climate — but we’ve adapted to these differences quite well, and things are going smoothly. It has been a good experience for both of us. Really, we benefited a lot. Every time you move to a different place you learn new things and develop yourself naturally.”

He added: “In terms of the future we hope to get more results, we want to reach higher levels in Europe and develop our skills.”

While both players, who are on loan from Al-Ittihad for the 2024-25 season, have quickly settled into life in Belgium, it is Al-Sahafi who has made the biggest impact so far.

After scoring both goals in a 2-1 win against Belgian giants Anderlecht in September, he netted another brace ahead of this week’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The winger’s double salvo helped Beerschot fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Club Brugge, who are playing in this season’s UEFA Champions League.

“Against Anderlecht, we had the resolve to win and God blessed me with the two goals,” Al-Sahafi said. “It was superb, and an amazing feeling throughout the game. It was one of my best performances by far and I will remember this for a long, long time. [I think] we’ve acclimated to the different situation well and it wasn’t difficult even though there are not many players from the Kingdom who have played in Europe.”

For Al-Ghamdi, too, seeing Al-Sahafi among Beerschot’s goal scorers has been special.

“I’m extremely proud of him and it is a joy seeing him score,” Al-Ghamdi said. “I have very high hopes for him and I hope we will both [continue] to have better performances in the future, with more goals and more wins.”

The Saudi duo’s coach at Beerschot is former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt. He became a cult hero during his six years at Anfield, aided by scoring a match-winning hat-trick against Manchester United in 2011. With 104 caps for the Netherlands under his belt, Kuyt’s experiences as a player have helped him transition into an effective coach.

“He’s a little bit before our time but we do remember watching clips and videos of him in his career,” Al-Ghamdi said. “As a coach we try to benefit as much as possible from having him, he’s a great influence both on and off the pitch, well-rounded. He’s responsive with the players, he is engaging as a person, very warm. He gets close to the players and offers his best advice — whether in training, in matches, or even off the pitch.”

Al-Sahafi has also felt the benefit of Kuyt’s guidance: “He’s close to us and really tries to facilitate the best conditions and prepare us before the game. He takes care of us and he has a big personality and character — on and off the pitch. He is very impactful.”

At international level, too, Al-Sahafi and Al-Ghamdi are set to play under a hugely popular coach. Herve Renard returned to coach the Green Falcons last month, replacing Roberto Mancini.

It was under Renard that Al-Ghamdi made his international debut against Yemen in January 2023 and, after struggling for game time while Mancini was at the helm, the midfielder is optimistic about the future of the national team.

“He is a huge coach and we had very good results with him,” Al-Ghamdi said. “We are so happy to have him back and we hope to get amazing results with him. Inshallah, we will qualify for the World Cup with him, that is our primary objective.”

Al-Sahafi’s international bow only came in June this year, and he was handed his first start for the Green Falcons in last month’s 0-0 draw with Bahrain in Jeddah — a game that proved to be Mancini’s last.

“This will be my first experience with the new coach and I want to prove myself,” Al-Sahafi told Arab News. “I believe there is a clear reason why he chose me and I want to make him proud. Our goal is to reach the World Cup.”

So by the time the 2026 tournament begins in the United States, Mexico and Canada, could there be more Saudi players making their mark in European football?

“There have definitely been many players in the Saudi national camp who have asked us about playing in Europe,” Al-Ghamdi said. “We explained what has happened and how we have developed. We told them it has been exciting and they were quite curious.”

Al-Sahafi also hopes to convince some of his Green Falcons’ teammates to join the duo in testing themselves on a different continent and in a different football culture.

“A lot of people outside and within the Saudi national team have asked me questions and I told them it has been a tremendously valuable experience. And very fun too,” he said.

“I hope this time in Belgium helps us develop to be the best players for the Kingdom and to improve. We want to give the best we have to offer for Saudi Arabia and I hope soon we will see many players go abroad to improve themselves further.”