DUBAI: Saudi Arabia have been drawn alongside Qatar, Lebanon and North Korea in Group B of the 2019 Asian Cup.
Green Falcons coach Juan Antonio Pizzi was in attendance for the official draw, which took place at the Armani Hotel, in the shadow of Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa.
Saudi Arabia are three-time Asian Cup champions but have not won the competition since 1996, the last time it was held in the UAE.
To claim a fourth title, the Green Falcons will first have to engineer a way past Qatar, Lebanon and North Korea.
Then their last-16 opponents would be from Group F, which contains Japan, Uzbekistan, Oman and Turkmenistan.
Saudi Arabia last played Qatar in the final of the 2014 Gulf Cup, losing 2-1 in Riyadh. They have met three times previously in the Asian Cup group stage, all of which finished as draws — in 1984, 1992 and most recently in 2000.
The last competitive meeting between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon was a 2010 World Cup qualifier in Riyadh, which the hosts won 2-1. The two nations more recently played out a 1-1 friendly draw in October 2014 in Jeddah, Omar Othman Hawsawi opening the scoring for the Green Falcons before Hassan Fallatah’s goal earned Lebanon a draw.
North Korea were defeated 4-1 in the group stage in 2005, while Saudi Arabia lost and drew with them during 2010 World Cup qualification.
After failing to progress from their group at the 2011 and 2015 editions of the Asian Cup, expectations will be much higher this time after they qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 12 years.
And with the Asian Cup draw having been made, all attention will be immediately focused on this summer’s showpiece in Russia. There Pizzi and Co. will face the hosts, Uruguay and Arab rivals Egypt.
Saudi Arabia get tough group for 2019 Asian Cup
Saudi Arabia get tough group for 2019 Asian Cup
- Green Falcons drawn against Qatar, Lebanon and North Korea.
- Pizzi's men will be looking to win first Asian Cup since 1996, when the tournament was last held in the UAE.
Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh
- Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties
RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.
Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.
After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.
The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.
That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.
Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.
Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.
Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.
Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.
The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.
Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.
The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.
