LONDON: Saudi Arabia were handed a tough draw for the 2022 U-23 Asian Cup football tournament on Thursday as they were placed in Group D with the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Tajikistan.
The young Green Falcons, finalists in the tournament’s 2013 and 2020 editions and looking to go one better in Uzbekistan this summer, kick off their campaign on June 3 against Tajikistan before tough clashes against the Samurai Blue and the Olympic Whites.
An opening game against Tajikistan, making a first appearance in the 16-team tournament, will be seen as a perfect opportunity for the Saudis to take three points ahead of what should be more difficult tests. While Japan, champions in 2016 and semi-finalists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, are usually strong at this level, Saudi Arabia will take heart from the previous tournament when they finished top of their group with a 2-1 win over Japan who ended up in last place.
The final group game against the UAE could be crucial in determining who gets into the knockout stage and who goes home. Emirati coach Denis Silva is under no illusions as to the size of the task facing his team in Central Asia.
“There is no easy group in the finals, and all 16 teams qualified well and have what it takes to compete,” the Spaniard said. “We are aware of the strength of the opponents in the group such as the Saudi Arabia and Japanese national teams, and we also know about the great ambitions of Tajikistan who are making their first appearance in the finals.”
The UAE reached the quarter-finals last time around, but while they topped their group, they were then thrashed 5-1 by Uzbekistan in the second round.
Saudi Arabia’s U-23s appeared at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last summer and, despite finishing bottom of their group, were competitive in all three games against top-class opposition in Mexico, Germany and eventual gold-medal winners Brazil.
Despite that experience, Saad Al-Shehri’s team were not at their best in October and November as they squeezed through qualification for June’s tournament. After a draw with host nation Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia then lost 2-1 to Kuwait and had to defeat Bangladesh in the final game in the group to qualify as one of the best four runners-up in the 10 groups.
Under Al-Shehri, the team have already started preparations for the upcoming continental championships as the coach, who has been in the hotseat since 2018, selected 25 players for a training camp in Qatar in January. The stay included two friendly games against the host nation which ended in a 2-1 win on Jan. 30 and a 2-2 draw two days later.
There is at least one Arab team guaranteed to make it to the quarter-final stage. Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq have been drawn with Australia in Group B. Qatar are in Group A along with Iran, hosts Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Defending champions South Korea, who defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the 2020 final, are in the same group as the Southeast Asian trio of Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The tournament kicks off on June 1. Uzbekistan play Turkmenistan in the opening game, with the final scheduled to take place in Tashkent on June 19.