World Cup qualifying: Kadesh rises highest to give Saudi Arabia victory over China in Group C
Hassan Kadesh scores twice from corners to seal 2-1 win as China slip to another defeat
Hassan Kadesh’s last-minute winner broke Chinese hearts in Dalian on Tuesday, handing 10-men Saudi Arabia a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in which the team from the Middle East scored all the goals.
Kadesh rose highest from a corner and powered a header past goalkeeper Wang Dalei, scoring in almost exactly the same manner in which he had dragged his side level in the first half at Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium.
While the loss was far less embarrassing than the 7-0 drubbing China took at the hands of Japan last week, it still leaves them rooted to the bottom of Group C and looking increasingly unlikely to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
And aside from the defensive frailties that allowed Kadesh to twice get free at a set-piece, China boss Branko Ivanković will be just as concerned by his team’s inability to score a goal of their own in 180 minutes of football, and for more than 70 of those on Tuesday they had a man advantage.
He will also rue the VAR decision that denied substitute Wang Shangyuan a goal nine minutes into the second half. On at half-time, Wang bundled the ball over the line from a corner, only for it to be ruled out for an infringement in the build-up.
Saudi Arabia came into the game having drawn their first group match against Indonesia, and needing a win to keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup alive.
