As part of Group B competitions, the “Saudi Green” entered the match already guaranteeing qualification to the quarter-finals, but it had not yet secured the top spot in the group. The Moroccan team managed to snatch the lead with its victory, reaching seven points, occupying first place, while the Saudi team remained runner-up with six points.
Karim El Berkaoui scored the only goal of the match from a cross by Tarik Tissoudali in the 11th minute, taking advantage of an error from the Saudi defense.
The match witnessed a missed penalty kick by Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 69th minute.
With this result, the Saudi team will meet its Palestinian counterpart, the leader of Group A, while the Moroccan team will face the Syrian team, the runner-up of the same group.
The Saudi team entered the match with extensive changes made by coach Hervé Renard to the lineup to rest the key players, as he made seven changes and kept only four players from the previous match against the Comoros Islands, namely: “Ali Majrashi,” “Abdullah Al-Amri,” “Musab Al-Juwayr,” and “Abdulrahman Al-Aboud.”
Strong start:
The Saudi team had an early opportunity in the sixth minute after a precise long pass from “Murad Hawsawi” to the onrushing “Saleh Abu Al-Shamat,” and the Al-Ahli Jeddah star tried to put the ball in the net with his head, but it went slightly over the crossbar in the fifth minute.
In the 11th minute, Karim El Berkaoui managed to score the opening goal for Morocco after Tarik Tissoudali exploited a defensive error, breaking into the penalty area and sending a low cross that El Berkaoui followed into the net.
The French coach Hervé Renard, the Saudi Arabia coach, seemed angry with the performance of his players, especially at the defensive level, after Abdullah Al-Amri lost the ball easily.
Morocco’s danger increased by exploiting the left defensive flank of Saudi Arabia, which seemed the weakest in dealing with the pressure.
A green half, but!
In the second half, the Saudi team tried to compensate and come back in the result, especially after the disharmonious performance for most of the first half.
The French coach Hervé Renard was forced to bring in elements of the starting lineup. The defense remained the weakest point in the Saudi team’s lines, especially in light of its failure with the crosses that the Moroccan team excels at, both in sending and receiving.
Saleh Al-Shehri, the “Green” captain in today’s match, almost equalized with a header after a corner kick in the 58th minute.
Then the same player returned to fire another ball from inside the penalty area, but the good defensive positioning pushed the ball into a corner.
In the 61st minute, “Firas Al-Buraikan” participated at the expense of “Saleh Al-Shehri,” while “Nasser Al-Dossari” played instead of “Walid Al-Ahad,” and “Abdullah Al-Hamdan” participated as a substitute for “Saleh Abu Al-Shamat,” and “Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat” played at the expense of “Ali Majrashi.”
In the 66th minute, “Abdullah Al-Hamdan” succeeded in obtaining a foul inside the Moroccan penalty area, so the referee awarded a penalty kick, which the video technology confirmed its validity. Al-Hamdan tried to execute it in the Panenka style, but he shot it over the crossbar, wasting the opportunity to equalize in the 69th minute.
In the 77th minute, “Abdulrahman Al-Saeebi” saved a dangerous Moroccan opportunity from a cross. In the last 10 minutes, Renard gave “Ayman Yahya” the opportunity to participate at the expense of “Abdulrahman Al-Aboud” in the Saudi formation.
Yahya fired a ball on the edge of the penalty area after his descent, passing slightly next to the post. Then “Murad Hawsawi” also fired a strong ground shot that passed next to the right post.
The Saudi team imposed a siege on the Moroccan defenses in the last minutes in an effort to achieve a draw, while the “Atlas Lions” relied on counter-attacks.
