Saudi Arabia beat Iraq to reach quarterfinals of 2022 Arab Cup U-20

Saudi Arabia reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 Arab Cup U-20 after defeating Iraq 4-1 on Tuesday night at Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha.

The win means the young Falcons have topped Group A with a maximum of six points from two matches, while Mauritania is in second with three points. Iraq, in third place, have been eliminated with no points.

The Saudi team took the lead on nine minutes through Abdullah Radif, before Musab Al-Juwair doubled the score after 31 minutes. Iraq’s Abboud Rabah reduced the deficit two minutes later, but Radif restored Saudi’s two-goal lead almost immediately with his second of the match.

With 10 minutes of the match left, Radif completed his hattrick from the penalty spot to give the hosts a deserved 4-1 victory.

The Saudi team kicked off the tournament last Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Mauritania, who went on to beat Iraq 1-0 three days later. Their opponent in Sunday’s quarterfinal is yet to be confirmed.

In Group B, Yemen defeated the UAE 3-1 to finish second in the table behind Jordan, who qualify automatically for the last eight. The UAE, with only one point, are eliminated, while the Yemenis now wait to see if they are one of the two best second-placed teams in the competition.