Saudi Arabia beat Syria 2-0 to edge closer to U23 West Asian Championship semifinals

Saudi Arabia defeated Syria 2-0 on Wednesday night in Group C’s second round of matches at the U23 West Asian Championship being held in Dammam.

The 11-team tournament, organized by the West Asian Football Federation, runs until Oct. 12.

Both goals came from the penalty spot, the first by Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the sixth minute and the second by Abdullah Radeef two minutes into stoppage time.

The win was Saudi Arabia’s fourth over Syria at this level, having also drawn three and lost nine. The most recent meeting between the two teams, in January 2020 at the AFC U23 Championship in Thailand, ended with Saudi Arabia winning 1-0.

Syria still lead the three-team Group C on goal difference having earlier defeated Bahrain 4-1, but Saudi Arabia will have chance to go top when they face their Gulf neighbors on Friday.

A point will ensure Saudi Arabia progress to next week’s semifinals, while an unlikely Bahraini qualification to the last four will require a win by a four-goal margin.

Meanwhile, Iraq became the first team to reach the semifinal after beating the UAE 2-0 in Group B, with goals from Sadiq Zammal and Munther Al-Amir. In the group’s other match, Palestine beat Lebanon 4-2.

The UAE and Palestine, who face each other on Friday, will be hoping to be the best of the second-placed teams as Iraq has a better head-to-head record against both.

In Group A’s early action on Wednesday, Yemeni beat Oman 1-0, with a goal by captain Nasser Muhammadu in the 27th minute, while Jordan defeated Kuwait team 2-1, the winning goal coming in the 88th minute through Mohammed Pogba.

Yemen lead the group with four points, with Jordanian in second place with three points, ahead of Oman on goal difference.