Saudi Arabia and Australia played out a scoreless draw in their World Cup qualifier match on November 14, 2024, with Saudi Arabia having a goal disallowed in extra time, leaving both teams without the desired result. The game took place in front of a sold-out crowd at AAMI Park in Melbourne, with both teams failing to find the breakthrough they needed to secure a win. Despite several opportunities, the match ended in a stalemate.
Saudi Arabia thought they had secured a win in the 93rd minute when Sultan Al-Ghannam scored, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside call. The teams struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, but both improved in the second half, with Australia’s coach Tony Popovic acknowledging the efforts of the Saudi team. The draw did not help either team in their quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The draw played into the hands of Group C leaders Japan, while also opening the door for Bahrain to potentially move into second place. With both teams having six points, they are now four points behind Japan, who are set to play Indonesia in Jakarta. The top two teams in the group will qualify for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will have to go through another round of qualifiers.
Australia and Saudi Arabia will now have to regroup for their upcoming matches against Bahrain and Indonesia, respectively. Australia’s coach made only one change to the team that drew with Japan, while Saudi Arabia’s new coach Herve Renard made several changes to his lineup. The match was intense, with Australia being awarded a penalty early on, only for VAR to overrule the decision due to an offside call.
Despite both teams creating chances, neither was able to break the deadlock, with Saudi Arabia almost securing a late winner only for the goal to be disallowed. The teams will now have to focus on their upcoming matches as they strive to secure their spots in the 2026 World Cup.
