The Saudi national team overcame a goal deficit with a 3-2 victory over its Indonesian guest thanks to a brace from Firas Al-Braikan in the opening of the second group matches in the Asian playoff qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Jeddah, on Wednesday.
Kevin Disick put the visitors first from a penalty kick in the 11th minute, but Saleh Abu Al-Shamat equalized six minutes later with a powerful left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area after a pass from Musab Al-Jawir.
Firas Al-Braikan put Saudi Arabia ahead in the 36th minute via a penalty kick he executed with his left foot, before making the score 3-1 in the 62nd minute with a left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area after following Al-Jawir’s shot that was returned by the visitors’ goalkeeper.
But Disick scored the second goal for him and Indonesia from a penalty kick two minutes before the end.
Substitute Mohamed Kanno received a yellow card and was then sent off in the third minute of stoppage time for objecting to the warning, causing him to miss the next Iraq match.
With this victory, the Saudi team put one foot forward in the World Cup, topping the second group of the playoff qualifiers with 3 valuable points.
The Asian playoff will be held in a league system of one round in two groups, each of which includes three teams, with the winner of each group qualifying directly to the World Cup that will be held next year, while the second-place finishers in the two groups will qualify for a playoff round to compete in the hope of qualifying through the global playoff.
The first group includes Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, and the UAE, and its competition will be held in Doha, while the second group includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia, and is hosted by the city of Jeddah.
Iraq will meet Indonesia at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah next Saturday before facing Saudi Arabia next Tuesday.
