VOLGOGRAD: Dead rubber? Dead wrong.
Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi dismissed the suggestion that Monday’s night 2-1 World Cup victory over Egypt was of little consequence, stressing that Salman Al-Faraj and Salem Al-Dawsari have etched their names into history.
Pizzi’s Green Falcons claimed Saudi Arabia’s first World Cup win since 1994 when Al-Dawsari drilled a shot past Essam El-Hadary in added time with the score tied at 1-1.
Al-Faraj had earlier scored from the penalty spot to cancel out Mohamed Salah’s opener and as Al-Dawsari performed a celebratory forward-flip, his Argentine coach could be seen hugging his staff ecstatically.
It was a much deserved win after dominating their Middle East rivals throughout, finishing the match with 61 percent possession and having managed 22 shots at the opposition goal. The North Africans had scored with their only shot on target. It was put to Pizzi in his post-match press conference that perhaps his team had played free of their shackles because with neither side capable of progressing from Group A there was nothing at stake.
“You say there was nothing at stake,” said Pizzi. “But you don’t know what it is to play a World Cup. For me as a coach and my players, being at a World Cup is the most important thing. So there was a lot at stake for us.
“You really don’t understand what it means for Salem and Salman to be able to score at a World Cup. They will be able to tell this to their children, to their grandchildren, in 30 years: ‘I scored during a World Cup’. This is amazing. So there was a lot at stake. Every single match is important.
“That is why it’s so difficult, that’s why there’s so many media representatives here and many people supporting us and telling the world what is going on here. Because, in our job, this is the most important thing ever.”
For the third consecutive game here in Russia, Pizzi’s side conceded an early goal, this time Salah beating the offside trap to latch on to a long ball and lob Yasser Al-Mosailem. Yet rather than capitulating like against Russia or struggling to create any goalscoring opportunities like against Uruguay, instead Saudi rallied and started to pepper the goal of El-Hadary, who became the World Cup’s oldest ever player at 45 years and five months.
El-Hadary, who plays his domestic football in the Kingdom with Al Taawoun, made an excellent save from a Fahad Al-Muwallad penalty in the 41st minute, but five minutes later, could not replicate his heroics when Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan used VAR to hand the Saudi’s a second attempt. Al-Faraj, who had wanted to hit the first, demanded the ball, placed it on the spot and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
“I think before the first goal, they didn’t create chances and we made no mistakes,” Pizzi said. There was another chance for Salah afterwards, but these were the only two opportunities for Egypt. We kept the ball in the channels and played wide. We deserved to win.
“We saw in the first half that if we could speed up the pace of play, we’d have opportunities and that’s what we did. The players knew opportunities would arise. They saw Egypt’s weaknesses and took advantage.”
Juan Antonio Pizzi hails Saudi Arabia’s ‘history-makers’ after win over Egypt
Juan Antonio Pizzi hails Saudi Arabia’s ‘history-makers’ after win over Egypt
- Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi dismissed the suggestion that Monday’s night 2-1 World Cup victory over Egypt was of little consequence
- Pizzi’s Green Falcons claimed Saudi Arabia’s first World Cup win since 1994
Three LIV Golf wild card spots up for grabs in Florida
- Total of 22 players advance to weekend action, with chance to join 2026 LIV Golf League season
LECANTO, FLORIDA: While South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang and others at the top of Friday’s leaderboard at LIV Golf Promotions advanced comfortably into the weekend at Black Diamond Ranch, former wild card player Anthony Kim faced an 8-foot birdie putt to decide his fate on the final hole.
Kim rolled in the putt, arguably his biggest clutch moment in the two years since returning to pro golf from a 12-year retirement, to shoot a 1-under 69 and make the cut on the number.
A total of 22 players among the field of 47 in the second round moved on to compete for the three open wild card positions for the 2026 LIV Golf League season. Scores will now reset for the final 36 holes.
Kim is one of seven players Friday to sneak in on the number and is the only remaining American of the 12 who started the week in the field. His final birdie at the par-4 18th capped off a rollercoaster finish that included a chip-in to save par at the 13th hole after his tee shot found the water, along with bounce-back birdies after each of the two bogeys he made in the final five holes.
“We can talk about rollercoasters on the round today, but my life has been a pretty big rollercoaster, so this is pretty smooth for me,” said the 40-year-old Kim, who was exempt into the second round after suffering relegation on LIV Golf last season.
Another former LIV Golf player, Australian Matt Jones, is hoping to earn a wild card spot after playing all 50 LIV Golf tournaments as a member of Ripper GC during the first four seasons. Jones started strong on Friday and was 4 under at the turn before hanging on to shoot 69 after making three bogeys in a five-hole stretch to start his back nine.
Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent also advanced by shooting 69. Vincent is the only player in the field to have previous Promotions success, earning one of the three spots in 2023 that placed him on Jon Rahm’s expansion Legion XIII team in 2024.
Wang, meanwhile, continued his early-week success in LIV Golf Promotions, shooting a 5-under 65 to lead the field on Friday. In 2024, Wang shot the best opening round in Promotions and tied for third best in the following round but could not keep up the pace on the 36-hole final-day finish. He is glad to see the format change to 18 holes over two days this weekend.
“It’s more comfortable for me to play 18, 18,” said Wang, who was exempt from Round 1 due to his International Series status. “I’m really excited to play the next two days. I’ll just give it my best.”
Canadian Richard T. Lee, whose 6-under 64 was the lowest score in Thursday’s first round, followed with a 66 on Friday as one of Wang’s three closest pursuers. His round was fueled by eagles on both of the par-5 holes, with his 5-wood second shot at the ninth hole settling to 5 feet, and his 5-iron from a waste bunker at the 16th finished within 3 feet.
Like Wang, Lee has made the weekend for the second consecutive Promotions tournament but has not converted that into a LIV Golf spot.
“I played 6 under yesterday and 4 under, and I think that’s plenty good enough for this course,” said Lee, who is seeking to become the first Canadian player on LIV Golf.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana — who played in LIV Golf’s inaugural 2022 season — and Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren matched Lee’s 66, while nine players shot 67.
As for Kim, he managed to survive-and-advance on a tough day after a performance he called a “5” on a scale to 10. But like the other 21 competitors still alive at Black Diamond Ranch, he is hoping to find some magic during the last 36 holes to earn one of the coveted LIV Golf spots.
“This is what I signed up for,” Kim said. “I’m glad that I got to be in that position and have to make a birdie to get into the next two rounds. There’s a long way to go, but I feel really good about it going into this weekend.”
