Saudi Arabia, ranked 56th in the world and 7th in Asia, ushered in the third round of the group stage of the third stage of the Asian round of 18 of the World Preliminary Round, and the Saudi team sat on their home stadium against Japan, ranked 16th in the world and ranked 1st in Asia.
Before the game, Saudi Arabia was second in Group C with four points, while Japan were first in the group with six points. In the last 3 meetings between the two sides, Japan team has a slight upper hand, citing the fact that Japan team has a 2-1 record in these 3 meetings. Therefore, before the game, more than 70% of fans were full of confidence that the visiting Japan team defeated the Saudi team.
In the 14th minute of the first half, Mikasa crossed the ball from the left side of the box, Hidemasa Morita headed the ball, and Daichi Kamada met the ball in front of the goal with a volley to give Japan the lead.
In the 81st minute, Junya Ito assisted from a corner kick, and Ogawa Hanki scored with an invincible header in the box to help Japan seal the victory.
In the end, Japan defeated Saudi Arabia to win three consecutive wins in the round of 18, and after the game, Japan continued to lead with 9 points, while Saudi Arabia fell to 3rd.
In the whole game, the Japan team did not have an advantage in possession and shots, but the Japan team had the last laugh, congratulations to the Japan team!