JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia secured a deserved 1–0 victory over Ivory Coast in Jeddah on Friday, with an early strike from Saleh Aboulshamat proving decisive at King Abdullah Sports City.
The hosts made a fast start and were rewarded in the eighth minute when Aboulshamat finished confidently after a sharp attacking move, catching Emerse Fae’s side flat-footed.
From there, the Green Falcons’ disciplined 4-3-3 structure limited the African champions’ opportunities to respond.
Ivory Coast, who lined up in a 4-4-2, endured a frustrating evening and struggled to create meaningful chances despite expectations of a more open contest.
They lacked sharpness in the final third, and even a wave of second-half introductions, including Guela Doue, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Sebastien Haller, Amad Diallo and Yan Diomande, failed to turn the tide.
Ivory Coast now shift their focus to Tuesday’s fixture against Oman as they look to bounce back from the defeat and regain momentum ahead of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
