Saudi Arabia eye first AFC U-23 Asian Cup triumph against Uzbekistan

With qualification for the World Cup, triumphs in the AFC Champions League and a thrilling title race and relegation battle, these are exciting times for Saudi Arabian football. Sunday could be the icing on the cake with a major tournament final.

It could also be third-time lucky for coach Saad Al-Shehri and a team of young Saudi footballers.

Saudi Arabia meet hosts Uzbekistan in the final of the U-23 Asian Cup in Tashkent, full of confidence and belief after an almost perfect run in the tournament. The young Green Falcons topped their group then defeated Vietnam and Australia in the knockout stages to book the big date.

All this was done without conceding a single goal. Meeting the host nation in the last game of a major competition is always going to be a big challenge, and Al-Shehri is not going to be taking anything for granted as he knows all about getting to within touching distance of a trophy and then falling just short.

Saudi Arabia have now won all three semifinals they have contested in this competition but have yet to win a final.

On a personal level, the 42-year-old Al-Shehri has been here before as well, twice in fact, and lost both times. The first final loss was back in 2016 at the Asian U-19 Championship. Then Saudi Arabia made it all the way, thanks to an unforgettable 6-5 victory in the last-four clash with Iraq, and then met Japan. The game in Bahrain ended goalless with the Samurai Blue triumphing on penalties. 

The second final was just as painful for the boss and came at the previous tournament in 2020, the last major meeting before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on international football. There was a semifinal win over Uzbekistan, then the defending champions, which booked another final. This time