Yemen test awaits Saudi Arabia in quarter-finals of 2022 Arab Cup U-20

The quarter-finals of the 2022 Arab Cup U-20 take place on Sunday. Two are all-Asian affairs with the other two featuring teams from Africa. It wasn’t planned that way but was produced by a fascinating group stage.

The Saudi Arabian city of Abha is the host of all the games and it is where all 18 teams started out. It is no surprise then that the hosts, defending champions after winning in Egypt last year, were the first to book their spot in the knockout stage thanks to a 2-0 win over Mauritania and a 4-1 dismissal of Iraq. The star of the show and the star of the tournament so far is Abdullah Radif. The Al-Hilal striker currently leads the goalscoring charts with four to his name already as a goal in the opener and then a hat-trick against Iraq.

Coach Saleh Al-Mohammadi led the team to success in 2021 but is taking nothing for granted this time around.

“We have started well but we know that there is a lot of work for us to do,” he said. “The quarter-final is our focus now and we know that is going to be a difficult match for us.”

With only the first of the three teams in each of the six groups guaranteed of going through along with two of the best runners-up, the results and performances were just what Saudi Arabia ordered. 

On Sunday, they face Yemen, who squeezed through as one of the best runners-up after finishing second behind Jordan and defeating UAE 3-1. While the Green Falcons are strong favorites, it won’t be a stroll in the park.

“We are delighted to have made it this far and the players were excellent against the United Arab Emirates,” said Yemen coach Mohamed Al-Nafii.  “Now we know we have a very difficult game against Saudi Arabia. We know what we have to do and that we have to be at our best.”

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