SINGAPORE, 25 June 2007 — Saad Al-Harthi and Malik Muaz scored second-half goals to guide Saudi Arabia to a 2-0 win over United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup warm-up match in Singapore yesterday.
Al-Harthi opened the scoring in the 49th minute when he headed a corner from Abdulrahman Al-Qahtani into the back of the net. Muaz sealed the win by scoring eight minutes later when he connected with a free kick from Al-Qahtani in an encouraging buildup to next month’s Asian Cup.
“I was very pleased with the performance of the players today,” Saudi Arabia’s Brazilian coach Helio Dos Anjos told the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website.
“It was a hard game for us especially in the first half but the players did well and created opportunities and I think we deserved to win the game.” United Arab Emirates coach Bruno Metsu made seven second-half substitutions and said he was more interested in giving his players match time than the final result. “The result today doesn’t matter because it is still only a preparation for us. What is important for us is to be ready for our matches in Vietnam,” Metsu said.
The 16-team Asian Cup finals will be held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam from July 7 to 29.
Saudi Arabia will be based in Indonesia in Group D with their hosts, Bahrain and South Korea. United Arab Emirates are based in Vietnam in Group B, which includes Japan and Qatar.
Sevilla Crown Brilliant Season With King’s Cup
In Madrid, Sevilla crowned an outstanding season with victory in the King’s Cup final when a first-half strike from leading scorer Frederic Kanoute earned them a 1-0 win over Bernd Schuster’s Getafe on Saturday.
Kanoute grabbed the winner in a tight, hot-tempered contest at the Bernabeu stadium when he raced clear from a few meters inside the Getafe half and stroked the ball past goalkeeper Luis Garcia into the net after 11 minutes. But the evening ended on a low note for the Mali striker when he was sent off for retaliating after being fouled in the dying minutes of the game.
For his team, however, it was a fitting end to a brilliant campaign that began with victory over Barcelona in the European Super Cup and continued with a successful defense of the UEFA Cup when they beat fellow Spaniards Espanyol last month.
“I can’t find the words to explain a season like this,” said Sevilla captain Javi Navarro. “It’s going to take time for all of this to sink in. We’ve made a huge effort and now we’ve been rewarded for it.” Getafe coach Bernd Schuster won six King’s Cups as a player but his luck deserted him this time as the first-time finalists fought tooth and nail throughout but lacked the firepower to break down the streetwise Sevilla defense. There was some consolation for the modest Madrid side, however, because they will play in the UEFA Cup next season because Sevilla have qualified for the Champions League.
Although Getafe hail from a modest satellite town to the south of the Spanish capital, their supporters were heavily outnumbered at the Bernabeu by the thousands of Sevilla fans who had traveled up from the south.
The Andalucians responded to the electric atmosphere with a high-tempo start, but it was the Madrid side who had the first chance to take the lead. Swiss midfielder Fabio Celestini put striker Daniel Guiza in the clear, but just as it looked as though he might skip past Andres Palop on the edge of the area, the Sevilla keeper managed to sweep the ball away from his feet.
A minute later opposite number Kanoute gave Guiza a masterclass in finishing.
Snapping up a loose ball after an error by center-back Ruben Pulido on the halfway line, the Mali striker galloped down the pitch and coolly steered a low shot into the net.
Juande Ramos’ side were denied a second when Garcia beat away a fierce drive from midfielder Renato after good work by fellow Brazilians Luis Fabiano and Daniel Alves.
Getafe fought back hard in the final 10 minutes of the first half, but although they gave the Sevilla back four a couple of scares they were unable to trouble Palop.
The Andalucians remained in control for most of the second period but were unable to extend their advantage.
The match was soured by a series of flare-ups in the closing minutes with Kanoute receiving his marching orders for kicking out after a foul by Francisco Casquero.
It mattered little to the 50,000 Sevilla fans packed into the Bernabeu. They exploded with delight at the final whistle as their team won their first King’s Cup since 1948.
