Leaders-Mena magazine provided a live coverage of Thursday’s game between Saudi Arabia and Japan in the third round of the Asian 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Fulltime: Saudi Arabia 0-2 Japan
Scorers: Daichi Kamada 14′, Koki Ogawa 81′
Yellow cards:
Takumi Minamino, Koki Machida (Japan)
Saud Abdulhamid (Saudi Arabia)
90+8′ Second half ends.
90+4′ Japan defenders block Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s right-footed shot from outside the box.
90+2′ Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al Shehri is offside
90′ The match official signals 7 minutes of added time.
88’ Double subs for Japan: Takefusa Kubo replaces Ritsu Doan; Keito Nakamura comes in for Kaoru Mitoma
87’ Abdullah Radif heads Salem Al-Dawsari’s cross from a corner, but his effort from the center of the box is just too high.
86′ Corner kick for Saudi Arabia, conceded by Shogo Taniguchi.
82′ Double subs for Saudi Arabia: Abdulrahman Ghareeb replaces Feras Al Buraikan; Abdullah Al Khaibari comes in for Abdulelah Al Malki
(GOAL) Koki Ogawa heads in Junya Ito’s cross from a corner, directing the ball into the bottom left corner from the center of the box.
81′ GOAAAAAL… Japan add the second.
79’ Koki Ogawa connects with Junya Ito’s cross with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box but it is blocked.
77′ Substitution for Saudi Arabia: Abdullah Radif comes in for Nasser Al-Dawsari.
76′ Substitution for Japan: Koki Ogawa replaces Ayase Ueda
75’ With 15 minutes left to the final whistle, Japan lead, but Saudi Arabia dominate possession with 54% control of the game.
70′ Saud Abdulhamid receives a yellow card.
63′ Salem Al-Dawsari’s right-footed shot from outside the box is blocked
63′ Substitution for Japan: Daizen Maeda replaces Daichi Kamada
61′ Substitution for Saudi Arabia: Faisal Al-Ghamdi comes in for Musab Al Juwayr
47′ Nasser Al-Dawsari’s left-footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right.
46′ Second half begins.
46′ Substitution for Japan: Junya Ito replaces Takumi Minamino
46′ Substitution for Saudi Arabia: Saleh Al-Shehri replaces Ayman Yahya
45+6 First half ends.
45’ The match official signals 5 minutes of added time.
42’ Saud Abdulhamid’s right-footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top left corner.
40′ Throw-in for Saudi Arabia in their own half.
39′ Japan drive forward at breakneck speed but pulled up for offside.
36’ Hassan Kadish connects with Musab Al Juwayr’s cross, heading from the left side of the six-yard box, but it’s blocked.
35’ A corner kick for Saudi Arabia conceded by Ko Itakura.
30’ Half an hour in, Japan remain in the lead, dominating with 56% possession.
28′ Japan’s Takumi Minamino receives a yellow card.
27’ Musab Al Juwayr converts Salem Al-Dawsari’s cross with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box but it is blocked
22′ Saudi Arabia’s defender Saud Abdulhamid wins a free kick on the right wing.
15’ A quarter of an hour in, Japan are in the lead with possession of 63%.
(GOAL) Daichi Kamada converts Hidemasa Morita’s header with a left-footed shot from close range to the center of the goal.
14′ GOAAAAAL…. Japan score.
9′ Salem Al-Dawsari connects with Nasser Al-Dawsari’s cross, but his right-footed shot from outside the box produces a brilliant save from the keeper at the center of the goal.
7’ Japan’s Ritsu Doan’s left-footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
5’ Saudi Arabia press forward, seeking an early goal.
1′ First half begins.
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Lineups:
Saudi Arabia: Ahmed Al-Kassar; Saud Abdulhamid, Ali Lajami, Hassan Tambakti, Hassan Kadish; Nasser Al-Dawsari (Abdullah Radif 77), Abdulilah Al-Malki (Abdullah Al Khaibari 81), Musab Al-Juwair (Faisal Al-Ghamdi 61); (c) Salem Al-Dawsari, Firas Al-Buraikan (Abdulrahman Ghareeb 81), Ayman Yahya (Saleh Al-Shehri 46)
خيارات مدربنا “@robymancio ” لمواجهة منتخب اليابان 📝⬇. #السعودية_اليابان pic.twitter.com/74JdwZxdL5
— المنتخب السعودي (@SaudiNT) October 10, 2024
Japan: Zion Suzuki; Ko Itakura, Shogo Taniguchi, Koki Machida; Ritsu Doan (Takefusa Kubo 88), (c) Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, Kaoru Mitoma (Keito Nakamura 88); Takumi Minamino (Junya Ito 46), Ayase Ueda (Koki Ogawa 76), Daichi Kamada (Daizen Maeda 63)
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18:00 Saudi Arabia and Japan have faced each other 18 times across all competitions. The Samurai Blue have won 11 matches, while the Green Falcons claimed six victories, with one match ending in a draw. Their most recent encounter was in February 2022, when Japan secured a 2-0 victory during the final stages of the 2022 World Cup qualification.
17:00 Saudi Arabia probable lineup:
Goalkeeper: Ahmed Al-Kassar
Defenders: Saud Abdulhamid, Ali Lajami, Hassan Altambakti, Hassan Kadesh
Midfielders: Musab Al Juwayr, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Abdulelah Almalki, Ayman Yahya
Strikers: Salem Al-Dawsari, Saleh Alshehri
16:00 Saudi Arabia kicked off their quest for a third consecutive World Cup appearance on shaky ground, drawing 1-1 at home against Indonesia. However, five days later, they bounced back with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over China in Dalian, despite playing with ten men after midfielder Mohamed Kanno was sent off in the 19th minute.
13:00 The Green Falcons trail Group C leaders Japan by two points, aiming to bridge the gap. Japan, meanwhile, come into the match with impressive form, crushing China 7-0 and Bahrain 5-0 in their last two games.
12:00 Saudi Arabia are gearing up to face Japan on Thursday in a vital 2026 World Cup qualifier at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah.
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Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
Check the match preview HERE
Check out a tactical blueprint for Saudi Arabia to overcome Japan HERE’
