Egypt stand in way of Saudi Arabia and glory at 2022 Arab Cup U-20

A sell-out crowd will see if Saudi Arabia can defeat Egypt in the final of the 2022 Arab Cup U-20 Championships on Sunday and become the first team in the tournament’s history to win successive titles.

It is not only a battle between two giants of the Arab world — one from Asia, one from Africa — but between two talented young players who have already lit up the tournament.

All 20,000 tickets were quickly sold in the Saudi city of Abha once the semi-finals were negotiated by the host nation.

Wednesday’s clash was a stroll in the park for the young Green Falcons as they thrashed Palestine 5-0.

Saudi Arabia took maximum points from the group stage, which was contested by 18 teams from two continents. It included a 4-1 defeat against what was seen as a strong Iraqi team.

The signs, then, are good, and even the quarter-final penalty shootout win over Yemen can be seen as evidence that the Saudi team can deliver when the pressure is on.

The victory over Palestine was a performance from a team that is in form and full of confidence.

After a slow start, Saudi Arabia took control after 36 minutes as Mohammed Sulaiman opened the scoring.

Then two goals from Abdullah Radif put the home team firmly in control, and faint hopes of a comeback from Palestine were quashed when Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa and Saleh Al-Rahmani got in on the act.

There are no injuries for coach Saleh Al-Mohammadi to deal with, though midfielder Abdullah Al-Zaid will be absent through suspension.

“We know that we will face a tough test against Egypt,” said Al-Mohammadi, who has seen his team have the best offensive and defensive record in the tournament, with 11 goals scored and just one conceded.

“They have done well to get to the final, and so have we.