Saudi Arabia falls to Jordan, ending 13-year World Cup qualification streak

Saudi Arabia suffered their first defeat in nearly 13 years in home World Cup qualifiers after losing to Jordan in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The Green Falcons finished second in Group G but still went through to the next round of qualifiers for the upcoming World and Asian cups. Jordan topped the group with 13 points, exactly the same as Saudi Arabia, but had a superior goal difference.

Persistent pressure from the home side created the chance for Ali Lajami to open the scoring for the Green Falcons in the 16th minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the box. The visitors hit back in the 27th minute after Ali Olwan’s close-range header into the bottom right corner finished a rapid counter-attack.

Noor Al-Rawabdeh’s powerful shot from outside the box before halftime was enough for Jordan to secure the victory at Al-Awwal Park. The Green Falcons’ second-half pressure could not break through a determined Jordanian defense.

The Jordanians completed their revenge after losing to the Green Falcons 2-0 in the first leg in November.