Saudi Arabia aim to end 21-year wait for victory over South Korea

Saudi Arabia will attempt to end a 21-year winless run against South Korea when the two sides meet in a friendly on Friday.

The match will be played at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha as both teams prepare for their upcoming commitments.

It will be the 19th meeting between Saudi Arabia and South Korea in competitive and friendly football, according to Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya. Since their first encounter in 1980, Saudi Arabia have won five times, South Korea have prevailed in six matches and seven games have ended in draws.

Saudi Arabia’s last victory came in 2005, when they defeated South Korea 2-0 and 1-0 in the two legs of their 2006 World Cup qualifying tie.

Since then, the teams have met six times without a Saudi win. South Korea have claimed two victories, while the other four matches finished level.

Friday’s fixture will be the seventh friendly between the sides. South Korea have won two of the previous six, Saudi Arabia have won once and three matches have been drawn.

Saudi Arabia’s most notable victory over South Korea came in the semi-final of the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, when Talal Al-Meshal scored both goals in a 2-1 win.

Their most recent meeting was in the last 16 of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The match finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, before South Korea progressed to the quarter-finals by winning the penalty shootout.

Donis under pressure

The fixture comes amid reports of uncertainty surrounding Saudi Arabia manager Georgios Donis, with speculation in the Saudi football media that he could be dismissed.

Saudi journalist Abdulrahman Al-Humaidi, presenter of the Nadina programme on MBC 1, said Donis would leave his position as national team manager with “99%” certainty.

Donis rejected the reports in comments to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiya.

“I am not concerned by the rumours that are circulated from time to time about my professional future with the Saudi national team,” he said.

“What matters to me now is developing the team and focusing on the work. I have the experience to deal with what is being said about my professional future, and I will give my best to serve Saudi football.”

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has also denied that Donis is facing dismissal, in a statement reported by Saudi broadcaster Al Ekhbariya, and confirmed that he would remain in charge.

It is the second time the federation has rejected reports of Donis’ departure, after issuing a similar denial in October.

Some reports had claimed the federation wanted to appoint former Portugal manager Roberto Martinez to lead Saudi Arabia at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in place of Donis.

Those reports prompted anger among Saudi football supporters, particularly because of the limited time before the tournament. The federation responded with its denial.

However, the postponement of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup from January to December next year has revived speculation over Donis’ position, with more time now available before the competition.