DOHA: Saudi Arabia defeated South Korea 3-2 on Friday in Doha to give head coach Georgios Donis and his team a deserved and confidence-boosting win in the team’s penultimate match of 2026.

Marwan Al-Sahafi put the Whites ahead just before the break only for Oh Hyeon-gyu to level just after. Second-half goals in quick succession from Mohamed Kanno and Abdulelah Al-Amri put Saudi Arabia in control. Lee Jae-sung pulled a goal back but this time, there was no equalizer.

While the postponement of the AFC Asian Cup from January to December 2027 may have robbed this fixture of some of its importance, both continental powerhouses fielded strong line-ups.

Donis opted to play Abdullah Al-Hamdan in a central role, with the Al-Nassr striker flanked by Mohammed Al-Qahtani and Al-Sahafi.

Both teams had chances in the early exchanges. Korea, coached by former Spain boss Robert Moreno, were looking to their star attacking talents such as captain Son Heung-min and Atletico Madrid’s Lee Kang-in to make something happen.

It was easier said than done and Saudi Arabia had the better of the first half, taking control after a fourth minute shot from Porto midfielder Hwang In-beom and soon after Al-Hamdan tried to break free of the Korean backline but shot straight at former Al-Shabab goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

There was a scare as Son rolled a shot just wide of the post but overall, Saudi Arabia worked hard and looked to get forward at every opportunity.

There was plenty of action in the final stages of the first half. Three minutes before the break, a quick shot from Kanno from outside the area had Kim diving to push the ball out for a corner.

Moments later, Lee Kang-in had a more powerful attempt from a similar distance that stretched Mohamned Al-Owais but the Al-Hilal man made the save.

There was just enough time for the Green Falcons to take the lead before the break. Al-Sahafi timed his run perfectly to get on the end of a fine pass from Al-Hamdan who had dropped deep and wide.

Goalkeeper Kim came off his line, but slipped, to give the Al-Ittihad winger a little more time to keep his cool and slot home from the right side of the area into an empty net.

If Saudi Arabia scored with the last kick of the first half, Korea equalized with almost the first of the second with a simple but well-worked goal.

Seol Young-woo charged down the right and pulled a low ball back for Oh Hyeon-gyu, standing just to the right of the penalty spot in a crowded area, to turn and hit a first time shot past Al-Owais.

It was a fine finish but then Kanno’s was even better ten minutes later. After some fine work from Saud Abdulhamid, the Lens right-back was introduced as a substitute at the break, the ball slipped free on the edge of the area. Kanno was the first to react. The Al-Hilal midfielder did not have much to aim at but curled a low shot home, from the inside of the diving Kim’s left-hand post.

The challenge now was to protect this lead for longer than the first and it was clear that the West Asian team felt attack was the best form of defense. Three minutes later, Al-Amri rose at the near post to head home a Nasser Al-Dawsari corner.

Korea threw everything forward in a bid to try and get something from the game and reduced the deficit midway through the second half. Hwang Hee-chan reached the left byline and pulled it back for Lee Jae-sung to score from close range. The Koreans kept attacking but could not get the equalizer.

It was a great test and a deserved win for Saudi Arabia and after the recent Gulf Cup triumph, confidence and morale in the camp will be high going into 2027.

The victors will go on to play Uzbekistan on Tuesday, the final match of the year, while the Koreans face Qatar.