DUBAI: It may be painful but let’s look back to the first round of games for Arab countries at the 2018 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia were thrashed 5-0 by hosts Russia in the tournament’s opening game in Moscow. Then came Tunisia and Morocco, and it is hard to say whether their first defeats were more heartbreaking or less.
The former were holding England to a 1-1 draw but then lost to an injury time Harry Kane goal and the latter were undone in the 95th minute by an own goal against Iran. None recovered and all were out of the tournament after just two group games.
Four years on, however, and things are very different.
Whatever happens in the second round of games in the coming days, three of the four Arab nations are going to be in with a chance of progressing to the last 16.
After the disappointment of Qatar’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Ecuador in the tournament opener on Sunday, teams representing the region have shone.
Qatar’s Ismaeel Mohammed spoke of the inspiration that the Asian champions have taken from the exploits of their regional rivals.
“The performance until now, especially of Arab teams, is making us maybe a bit jealous and is motivating us to do as well as they have,” he said on Thursday.
Qatar are not the only team jealous of Saudi Arabia, and desperately wishing to experience something similar. The Green Falcons have been hogging the international spotlight since that stunning 2-1 comeback win over Argentina.
Plenty has already been said about the game itself but it is really something when the football world is talking about Salem Al-Dawsari rather than Lionel Messi.
It was a tactical masterclass from coach Herve Renard but one that could not have worked without the effort, intelligence and dedication from his players. The brave way they played was hailed even in Argentina.
Debates have raged on where this ranks on the scale of World Cup upsets. It is certainly right up there, and easily the biggest since Senegal, playing their first ever game at the World Cup, defeated holders France in the opening game of the 2002 tournament. It may even rival Cameroon beating Argentina, then the holders, in the first game of the 1990 cup in Italy.
In terms of Arab results, it is fair to say that the only competition Saudi Arabia have is Algeria’s 2-1 win over the mighty West Germany in 1982.
The headlines in the German media that year have been mirrored somewhat in the Argentina press now — derision for their team and praise for the victors.
It is certainly the biggest Saudi result in a World Cup tournament. The 1994 team got to the knockout stages and defeated Morocco and Belgium, but Argentina is on a different level.
Later on, Tuesday, Tunisia took on Denmark, regarded by some as dark horses in Qatar, a team that reached the semifinals of the 2020 European Championships where they were narrowly defeated by England.
The game ended 0-0 but it was an entertaining affair and the point that the Carthage Eagles took was fully deserved and they could have had all three had it not been for the reactions of Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
For the first hour of the game, they were on top with their energy and aggression causing plenty of problems.
And then came Morocco and another goalless draw, once again against a talented European opponent. The stalemate with 2018 finalist Croatia was a solid start for the Atlas Lions and another deserved point. Both teams looked well matched and fought each other to a standstill.
Those results did not grab the same headlines as Saudi Arabia’s, but they are significant. At the very least, these three Arab teams will avoid the fate of 2018 when they went into the final games of the group knowing that they were already eliminated. They will be competitive until the end, but ambitions are obviously greater now.
The conquerors of Argentina now turn their attention to Poland, who drew 0-0 with Mexico in a tepid game on Saturday and could conceivably book a place in the second round with a match to spare. That really would be a massive achievement but after Tuesday, it would not be a massive shock.
Tunisia take on Australia. Both teams regard the other as their best chance for three points in Group D. The Socceroos were beaten 4-1 by France with the defending champions unsurprisingly a cut above.
On early impressions, Tunisia are favorites. Victory would put Jalel Kadri’s men in with a great chance of the next stage, especially if the French defeat Denmark.
Morocco take on Belgium on Sunday. The Red Devils beat Canada 1-0 but were far from impressive. Belgium struggled with the hard-running of the Canadians and Walid Regragui’s men will fancy their chances. Saudi Arabia’s victory against Argentina stands as an example of what can be done.
Qatar know that losing to Senegal on Friday puts them in danger of suffering the fate of all three Arab teams from 2018. For the region as a whole however, this tournament is already looking very different. Saudi Arabia have shown the way and are leading a resurgent Arab football world.
Hopes of World Cup progress look brighter for Arab nations
https://arab.news/jugge
Hopes of World Cup progress look brighter for Arab nations
- Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco have excelled in Doha after Qatar’s disappointing opening day defeat
- It is certainly the biggest Saudi result in a World Cup tournament
Last-minute VAR review saves Al-Ahli as they go top of SPL with victory over Damac
- Al-Ahli’s 1-0 victory against Damac lifts them to first place on 56 points, with Al-Nassr (55) and Al-Hilal (54) yet to play this week
- Al-Qadsiah keep the pressure on, moving to 53 points after 4-0 victory in Eastern Province Derby against Al-Ettifaq
DAMMAM: If anything has taken over the Saudi Pro League’s fan sentiment this season, it’s one line: “the league is being lined up for [insert title challenger here]”. Under every post by broadcaster Thmanyah on X showing a VAR review in favour of one of the title challengers, the sentiment remains the same.
It is why Al-Ahli’s 1-0 victory over Damac in the delayed Matchday 10 opener was quite controversial. The match, highlighted by three goals that had to be checked by VAR in the first half and a last-minute equaliser revoked due to VAR, was no easy task for the Greens.
After all, it isn’t like Damac are easy opposition. Mired in the relegation battle this season with only two wins in 23 games, any casual viewer would think this is an easy three points for the big clubs.
While Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal have all beaten Damac this season, the reality remains that the Knights of the South have only lost seven games out of 27 when facing the Big Four at home since their promotion to the SPL.
Al-Ahli in particular have struggled against Damac. It wasn’t until last season that they secured their first victory in Khamis Mushait. Their previous outings ended with little to celebrate, with late equalisers and winners proving a nightmare for Al-Ahli’s large fanbase in the south.
Despite the victory, Al-Ahli’s struggles against Damac continued. They were lucky not to trail early when the hosts’ first-minute goal was rescinded for offside, and Damac did their best to ensure Matthias Jaissle’s side did not get comfortable.
Whether it was through overloading the space behind Rayan Hamed through Yakou Méïté and Dhari Al-Anezi, or the marauding runs of Morlaye Sylla to pull Zakaria Hawsawi out of position, Damac did their best to ensure Al-Ahli were as uncomfortable as they could possibly be.
On the defensive end, their 5-4-1 box shape prevented Al-Ahli from launching the long balls they’ve been particularly successful with in behind the defence. On one occasion it succeeded, although Ivan Toney was caught offside as he chipped the ball past Kewin.
Al-Ahli would get their goal in the 37th minute. A scramble in the box after a free-kick was delivered by Wenderson Galeno saw Franck Kessié capitalise on a loose ball to open the scoring.
While half-time analysts predicted Damac would continue in a deep block and refrain from taking risks, the reality was starkly different on the pitch. Damac took full control of proceedings after the interval. After all, a result was a must if they intended to escape the relegation zone, however temporary that may be.
The 71st minute saw them give Al-Ahli their biggest scare of the night. After a corner was cleared away from the Al-Ahli defence, Damac’s Abdulrahman Al-Obaid struck a volley from range only for Mendy to produce an acrobatic save to maintain the lead.
Despite holding a valuable lead at a tough stadium, Jaissle’s only substitution until the 88th minute was the inclusion of Feras Al-Brikan in place of Enzo Millot. Al-Ahli’s goal difference remains some way behind Al-Nassr (+39) and Al-Hilal (+37), with Jaissle’s side sitting at +30.
Mendy was ultimately the star of the night for Al-Ahli. An 89th-minute save after Syrian youngster Mohammed Al-Salkhadi wriggled his way to a clear shooting position sent Al-Ahli fans into celebration.
Or so everyone thought. A free-kick deep into stoppage time saw Méïté sneak past the Al-Ahli defence to head in what looked like an equaliser. Al-Ahli’s players immediately pushed for a VAR review, with the referee ultimately ruling out the goal for offside.
Méïté, angered by the decision, approached the referee seconds before full-time in protest. Tensions spilled over on the pitch, with Toney and Jamal Harkass clashing after the disallowed goal.
Tensions continued to flare as the final whistle blew, but Al-Ahli got what they needed: three points and a temporary spot at the top at one of the toughest grounds in the Saudi Pro League.
In Dammam, the Eastern Province’s flagship derby between Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ettifaq took place at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahad Stadium, with the home side looking to keep pressure on the title challengers.
The visitors have enjoyed a period of subtle, gradual improvement since Saudi manager Saad Al-Shehri replaced Steven Gerrard last year. Finding themselves in seventh place before the game with a chance to leapfrog Al-Ittihad and Al-Taawoun, those chances were quickly extinguished within the first 10 minutes.
Al-Qadsiah, already establishing themselves as this season’s dark horses in search of their maiden Saudi Pro League title, continued the high-quality football they’ve enjoyed since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers.
Yet to be defeated under the former Liverpool manager, the Knights of the Eastern Province blitzed to a 2-0 lead before Al-Ettifaq could settle into the game.
Nahitan Nández was the star behind this dominance. In the third minute, he slipped in behind João Costa to receive one of Musab Al-Juwayr’s trademark line-breaking passes and score the opener. Four minutes later, he exploited that space again to create Christopher Bonsu Baah’s goal, once more getting behind Costa thanks to a threaded pass from Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat.
This was Al-Qadsiah at their best, but the reality is, it could have been more. Eight big chances, 20 shots and an xG of 2.83 meant a 2-0 scoreline until stoppage time felt relatively underwhelming given their attacking dominance.
For Al-Ettifaq, it didn’t help that they were missing the services of Mousa Dembélé and Álvaro Medrán through injury and starboy Khalid Al-Ghannam through suspension, limiting their attacking threat.
Matija Gluščević and Koka — deputising for the absent Dembélé and Al-Ghannam — had made only six starts between them this season, with no goal contributions.
It is why Al-Ettifaq looked a shadow of the side that held Al-Nassr to a draw and defeated Al-Ittihad earlier this season. If anything, it resembled how the side looked under Gerrard: unorganised and uninspired.
The fact remains, Al-Qadsiah are a star-studded team with a manager who — until now — has managed them exceptionally well. Their rivals, meanwhile, have yet to return to former glories, and currently resemble more of an upper mid-table side in the landscape of Saudi football today.
A red card was shown to Abdullah Al-Khateeb late on, further compounding Al-Ettifaq’s misery. The hosts added a third in stoppage time, with Julian Quiñones capitalising on a weak save from Marek Rodák to tap in his 22nd goal of the season.
A first goal in an Al-Qadsiah shirt for Julian Weigl followed, as he unleashed a long-range strike past Rodák to seal a dominant victory. If there’s anything this match proved, it’s that — in spite of former glories — Al-Qadsiah are the Eastern Province’s current standard-bearers.
Elsewhere, Al-Shabab continue to enjoy life under new manager Nourredine Ben Zekri with an emphatic 3-1 win against Al-Riyadh. Yannick Carrasco, continuing his stellar run of form since the turn of the year, scored a hat-trick to increase his goal contributions to 15 in 11 games in 2026. Meanwhile, Al-Fateh finally ended their streak of eight games without a win after edging past Al-Okhdood 2-1.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Tuesday, with Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal travelling to Qassim to face Al-Hazem and Al-Taawoun respectively, as Al-Khaleej welcome Al-Kholood in Dammam. All games kick off at 10:00pm in the league’s unified Ramadan schedule.
