Saudi 5-0 rout puts the heat on Uzbeks, Lions
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A happy Saleh Al-Shehri after scoring Saudi Arabia's third goal against Palestine in their World Cup qualifier. They won 5-0 and lead Uzbekistan by two points and Singapore by four.
PHOTO: REUTERS
RIYADH • Herve Renard was relieved his Saudi Arabia side were able to overcome an unconvincing start to secure a 5-0 win over Palestine on Tuesday and maintain their unbeaten record in the second round of the Asian 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Saleh Al Shehri scored twice while Yasir Al Shahrani, Fahad Al Muwallad and Salem Al Dawsari were also on target for the three-time Asian champions, who moved to the top of Group D.
The win was Saudi Arabia's third in five games and Renard's side now lead Uzbekistan (nine) by two points, with both nations having played five times.
"We didn't start the match well," said Renard. "There was an opportunity for our opponent at the start of the match and they didn't take advantage of it, fortunately. We scored two goals in the first half, which ended well.
"I congratulate the players on their performance, especially the young ones. Our opponent relied on long passes and we are not very strong in dealing with these cases, but we performed well."
World No. 67 Saudi Arabia had to wait until the 37th minute before Al Shahrani headed the home side into the lead and Al Muwallad doubled their advantage from close range six minutes later.
Al Shehri netted twice in six minutes early in the second half and Al Dawsari completed the scoring from the penalty spot two minutes from time.
Singapore, 158th in the world, remain in third spot on seven points, but with just three games remaining and two of them coming against the Uzbeks and the Saudis, they must at least record a maiden win over either group favourite to reach the next round.
The Lions last played a competitive fixture in November 2019 and the Saudis will host all remaining Group D games from May 31 to June 15 in a centralised venue due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. Yemen and Palestine are the other teams.
Only the winners of the eight groups in the second round of Asia's World Cup qualifying tournament are certain to advance to the third phase. They will be joined by the four best runners-up.
Asia has four guaranteed places available at the World Cup, with a potential fifth spot on offer via an international play-off.
REUTERS
