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The bad news was that, after all the positivity following their first up win over Argentina, Saudi Arabia fell to a 2-0 defeat against Poland in Al Rayyan on Saturday evening.
The positive was that it was another bright display against strong opposition and that the
Saudi’s hopes of progression remain firmly in their own hands.
Goals in either half, the second after a poor error from Abdulelah Al-Malki, were enough for
Poland to secure the win in a clash where their goalkeeper also made a remarkable double
save to deny the Green Falcons from the penalty spot late in the first half.
Even with the defeat, Saudi Arabia know that a win and perhaps even a draw in their final
group match against Mexico next week will be enough to secure passage through to the
second round.
They should enter that clash in positive spirits though following another strong outing in
Qatar.
Even in the absence of the injured Salman Al-Faraj, Yasser Al-Shahrani and Hassan Al-
Tambakti, Saudi Arabia started brightly in a 4-3-3 with purposeful movement off the ball and
slick passing and movement through the lines.
It was a vibrant, aggressive, opening where they continued to look to play forward but with
a measured patience.
Even after Poland’s opener on 39 minutes they remained positive and were awarded a
penalty after a VAR intervention that was well saved from Salem Al-Dawsari with Mohammed
Al-Burayk seeing his follow-up shot also brilliantly pushed wide.
Both teams had their chances across the second half as coach Herve Renard had his
fullbacks switch flanks and the introduction of Nawaf Al-Abed at the break saw the shape
shift into a 4-2-3-1.
Al-Dawsari, Firas Al-Buraikan and Al-Malki all came close before the latter of that trio then
failed to control a simple pass across the face of goal under little pressure that allowed
Poland to sneak in and grab the match winning second.
A loss it may have been but after many observers were wondering whether the Argentina
win was a fluke result this display showed that Saudi Arabia – certainly here at what’s
almost a home World Cup – belong at this level.
Their technique is, across the first XI, far better than many nations in Qatar, they played
with a drive and determination that saw them work hard off the ball, they have a fine coach
and again showed real positivity against a nation ranked far higher than them.
The challenge now is turn that into the points they need against Mexico and there’s no
reason why, if they do that, they can’t go deep into the tournament.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Positivity again led to a strong performance: It is rare to find an AFC nation that
dares to take on those ranked higher than them with a belief in their technical and
tactical qualities to go toe-to-toe with those nations. Saudi Arabia have now done
that in back-to-back games and this is something that will benefit them not just here
in Qatar but in future tournaments.
Goalscoring woes returned: One of the knocks on the team heading into the
tournament was the lack of a clinical edge in front of goal and an xG of 2.25 in this
loss again points to troubles in finishing their chances.
Depth could be tested with future injuries: Although the side managed to cope
fairly well with some key absences here, the most notable was that of the star of the
first match in central defender Hassan Al-Tambakti and there’s an argument to be
made that his organisational skills could have really helped, particularly in the way
the second goal was conceded by a central midfielder standing on top of his own box
with little support.
WHAT THEY SAID
Post-match reaction to follow
WHAT COMES NEXT
Mexico loom next week as the Saudis final group opponents in a clash where a draw may be
enough to see them through to the Round of 16, but a win definitely will be.
Photo: twitter/SaudiNT
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