Saudi Arabia seek win over Australia, place in final of u-23 Asian Cup

Saudi Arabia will be hoping to maintain a proud record of never having lost an AFC U-23 Asian Cup semifinal when they take on Australia at Pakhtakor Central Stadium in Uzbekistan tonight.

It will be the third appearance for the national team in the semifinals of the tournament.

Al-Shehri’s side will be looking to win the competition for the first time, having lost two finals in the previous four tournaments.

In 2014, the Young Falcons defeated Jordan 3-1 in the semifinals of the AFC U-22 Championship — delayed from 2013 — with goals by Abdullah Al-Ammar, Muhammad Majrashi and Abdulfattah Asiri, before losing 1-0 to Iraq in the final.

In the 2020 edition of the competition, Saudi Arabia defeated Uzbekistan 1-0, from a goal scored by Nasser Al-Omran, to reach the final, where they lost to South Korea by the same score.

Wednesday’s meeting between Saudi Arabia and Australia will be the fifth time that the nations have clashed in the competition, with two wins each.