For the second time in its history.. Yemen is champion of West Asia for juniors
SMA NEWS – MUSCAT
The Yemeni juniors were crowned champions of the 2023 West Asian Junior Championship, after defeating the Saudi team on penalties 3/2, after the end of the match’s regular time in a positive draw with one goal for each.
The Yemeni national team opened the scoring early in the 12th minute through Abdul Rahman Al-Khader, who took advantage of a defensive error and advanced for Yemen, while Saudi equalized in the 76th minute with a goal by Meshal Al-Daoud, who followed a free kick outside the penalty area with a simple touch into the net.
Despite the Yemeni control over the course of the two halves of the match, the attackers missed many golden opportunities, amid the brilliance of Musa Al-Eid, the Saudi goalkeeper (the best goalkeeper in the tournament), who saved many of the opportunities achieved.
After the match ended in a draw, the two teams went to penalty kicks, during which Wadah Anwar, the Yemeni national team goalkeeper, excelled and saved two important kicks, allowing Yemen to win the championship amid the joy of the huge Yemeni fans who filled the stands of Al Saada Stadium in the Omani governorate of Dhofar.
With this title, Yemen has repeated its victory in the cup after the eighth edition, which was held in the city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in late 2021, which then ended with it winning the title for the first time in its history, at the expense of the Saudi national team, and with penalty kicks as well.
