Saudi Arabia secured their spot in the Asian Cup knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan in a one-sided group game at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The win puts Saudi Arabia at the top of Group F with six points, while Thailand sits in second with four points and Oman in third with one point after their goalless draw earlier in the day. Kyrgyzstan is at the bottom after losing both their games.
Kyrgyzstan got off to a rough start when Aizar Akmatov was given a red card for a high boot on Sami Al-Naji. Initially, Akmatov was only given a yellow card, but after the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) intervened, he was shown a straight red card. Saudi Arabia took advantage of their extra man and possession to score their first goal in the 35th minute when Mohamed Kanno turned in a cross at the far post.
The situation worsened for Kyrgyzstan when Kimi Merk was also sent off in the 52nd minute for a dangerous challenge on Hassan Al-Tambakti after catching the defender on the ankle. VAR was once again used to intervene after Merk was initially only cautioned. Despite Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to defend, Faisal Al-Ghamdi doubled Saudi Arabia’s lead with a long-range strike that slipped through the goalkeeper’s gloves in the 84th minute.
Journalist Rohith Nair reported from Al Rayyan, Qatar. The article was edited by Toby Davis.
