FOOTBALL – Rakan Al Ghamdi struck late as Saudi Arabia edged a plucky Kyrgyz Republic 1-0 in their AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Group A opener yesterday.
Debutants Kyrgyz Republic, 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 Club’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 prick 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 Kyrgyz Republic 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 before keeping out Al Ghamdi’s stinging shot from outside the box.
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 Kyrgyz Republic will aim to bounce back against Vietnam.
Earlier, first half goals steered Vietnam to a winning start in the tournament with a 2-0 defeat of Jordan.
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