HANGZHOU, China: The Saudi U-23 football team took the lead in the second group on Thursday after winning their second match against Mongolia at the 2023 Asian Games.
The Green Falcons thrashed Mongolia 3-0 with Haitham Asiri, Mohamed Marran and Naif Masoud scoring on the 18th, 49th and 74th minutes, respectively.
The Saudis now lead the group with three points following a goalless draw with Iran in their opening game.
Saudi female rower Haya Al-Mami has qualified for the semifinals of the women’s single sculls competition (W1x) after finishing third in the second round.
The semifinal will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday at the Fuyang Lake Water Sports Center, and will include competitors from South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and China.
In the men’s lightweight double sculls (LM2x) competition, Saudi duo Turki Al-Aarf and Sultan Al-Shali advanced to group B after finishing fifth in the second round.
Their teammate Rakan Ali Reda advanced to group C in the men’s single sculls (M1x) competition after finishing sixth in the second round.
On Friday, the Saudi table tennis team start their participation when they face the host country China at 6 pm.
The draw for the table tennis competition on Thursday placed the Saudi team in the group with China and Vietnam.
The competitions involve 20 teams in the men’s category and 18 in the women’s category.
The Saudi e-sports team held its first training session at the e-sports hall in the Jiang Hotel in Hangzhou, with 22 players taking part.
Over 6,000 journalists and 1,500 photographers have applied to cover the Asian Games. The organizing committee has set up a comprehensive media center in the Expo Ground area in downtown Hangzhou.
The center features nine large screens for broadcasting live games and can accommodate over 500 media representatives at one time. It functions for 16 hours daily, and provides news, photos, and videos in languages including Arabic, English, Korean, Japanese, Russian and Chinese.
Organizers have dedicated an area for conducting live interviews with guests.
Saudi U-23 football team defeats Mongolia to top group at 2023 Asian Games
https://arab.news/z4n9j
Saudi U-23 football team defeats Mongolia to top group at 2023 Asian Games
- Saudi female rower Haya Al-Mami qualifies for the semifinals of the women’s single sculls competition
- Over 6,000 journalists and 1,500 photographers have applied to cover the 19th Asian Games
Saudi Arabia edge Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in AFC U23 Asian Cup opener
- Al-Nassr’s Rakan Al-Ghamdi struck in the 88th minute as 2022 champions Saudi Arabia got off to a winning start
JEDDAH: Rakan Al-Ghamdi struck late as Saudi Arabia edged a plucky Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in their AFC U23 Asian Cup Group A opener on Tuesday.
Debutants Kyrgyzstan, reduced to 10 men in the 34th minute, looked on course for a point after goalkeeper Kurmanbek Nurlanbekov had saved Musab Al-Juwayr’s penalty but Al-Nassr’s Al-Ghamdi struck in the 88th minute as 2022 champions Saudi Arabia got off to a winning start.
Both sides went on the offensive from the start with Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Radif sending his effort from outside the box high as early as the second minute, while Beknaz Almazbekov had his shot from distance blocked two minutes later.
The hosts began to assert their dominance before suffering a setback in the 13th minute when captain Abdullah Radif was subbed off due to injury with Majed Abdullah taking his place.
However, his absence failed to deter the 2022 champions’ resolve as they almost took the lead in the 15th minute after Abdullah pounced on a stray pass from Anton Polev, only to see his low drive from inside the box saved by Nurlanbekov.
The Central Asian side’s exuberance suffered a dent in the 34th minute when Arsen Sharshenbekov received his marching orders for stamping Abdulaziz Al-Elewai’s ankle, following a VAR review.
Saudi Arabia, however, failed to trouble Nurlanbekov despite the numerical advantage with Kyrgyzstan still very much in the game going into the break.
Nurlanbekov continued to frustrate Saudi Arabia in the second half with the FC Dordoi Bishkek keeper foiling Faris Al-Ghamdi from distance in the 48th minute.
Saudi Arabia almost found the opener just after the hour mark when Yaseen Al-Zubaidi and Abdulaziz Al-Elewai exchanged passes with the latter breaking into the box, only to see his shot from a difficult angle closed down by Nurlanbekov.
Spurred on by their passionate home support, Saudi Arabia’s pressure earned them a penalty in the 74th minute after Arslan Bekberdinov’s handball but Nurlanbekov judged correctly to deny Al-Juwayr from the spot with his outstretched right-handed save.
Saudi Arabia finally found a way through in the 88th minute after Al-Juwayr’s clever pass found Al-Ghamdi, who rifled his shot past Nurlanbekov to seal the victory.
Saudi Arabia will meet Jordan on Friday while Kyrgyzstan will aim to bounce back against Vietnam.
