The national teams of Australia and Saudi Arabia drew 0:0 in Melbourne, marking yet another unsuccessful result for both teams in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The result of this game allowed them to collect six points from five matches in the group, trailing the leaders and second-placed Japan, who will play their game against Indonesia.
The Saudi Arabian national team, led by returning coach Renard after the departure of Italian Roberto Mancini, missed the chance to secure victory after two previous unsuccessful matches. In this game, their attack was not supported by injured سالم الدوسري, veteran سلمان آل فرج, and also midfielders عبد الله آل مالك and عبد الله آل عمار.
Despite the outdated look and possible chances for both teams, the match did not throw one into attack. In the first half, the Australian team came closer to scoring through Harry Souttar, just barely missing a chance to hit the target. Then ناصر الدوسري made a strike from the angle of the field, which was successfully reflected by the goalkeeper.
A magnificent moment was missed by مروان الهلال when he was left one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but was marked offside. In the second half, the Australian team looked more confident, but did not manage to overcome the Saudi Arabian team.
The game was accompanied by intrigue until the last moment when Zulfiqar 'Sultan' Al-Ghanam scored a goal in the last minute of real-time, which was ultimately ruled out by the referee after the use of video technology. Both trainers expressed respect for their opponents and acknowledged that the game was not ideal. Australian coach Tony Popovich noted improvements in his team's performance in the second half and looked forward to future matches in the qualifying stage of the World Cup.
