Green Donis ends his 21-year-old with a hat-trick in “Korean Samson”

The Saudi national team ended a decade that lasted for 21 years by achieving an exciting victory over South Korea, 3-2, on Friday, in a friendly experience that prepares the two teams for the upcoming matches. At Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha, the first Saudi victory over Korea came in 21 years, specifically since August 2005, when the Greens won 1-0 in the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup.

Marwan Al-Sahafi scored the first goal for the Saudi team in the second minute of stoppage time in the first half, then Hyun Gyu Oh equalized for South Korea in the 48th minute. Muhammad Kanno restored the lead for Saudi Arabia again in the 55th minute, Abdul Ilah Al-Omari added a third goal in the 59th minute, and Lee Jae-sung returned to score a second goal for the Korean team in the 69th minute.

Donis chose a list of 30 players to participate in the Doha camp, which began on November 9 and continues until November 17, and will witness another friendly confrontation with Uzbekistan next Tuesday. The list included names with international experience, led by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais, along with Saud Abdul Hamid, Hassan Al Timbukti, Abdul Ilah Al Omari, Mohammed Kanno, Nasser Al Dosari, Musab Al Jawir, Firas Al Burikan, and Abdullah Al Hamdan, while the captain of the national team, Salem Al Dosari, was absent from the camp. The Asian Cup draw placed the Saudi team in the first group alongside Palestine, Oman and Kuwait, while South Korea was placed in the second group alongside Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Jordan.

The Spanish Robert Moreno, coach of the South Korean national team, expressed his disappointment after the loss to the Saudi national team, 3-2, in the friendly confrontation that brought them together, at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in the Qatari Al-Sadd Club, indicating that a draw would have been a fair result compared to the course of the match.

Moreno said, during the press conference that followed the confrontation: “I think it was a disappointing result, and we had a great desire to give the fans victory, and to show the amount of work we have done over the past days.”

He added: “I think a draw would have been fair today, but we made many mistakes against the opponent.”

The Spanish coach explained that his country had chances to come back in the result, but did not succeed in investing in them, stressing that the focus will shift to the next confrontation, in an effort to provide a better reaction.

He said: "We had chances to score a draw, and now we will focus on Tuesday's match, and strive to show a better reaction, especially for the sake of the fans who supported their team today."

In response to a question about his technical options, Moreno refused to hold any player responsible for the loss, stressing his conviction in the lineup he fielded against the Saudi national team.

He added: "I don't want to talk about a specific player; we chose the best lineup, and Son's continuation was the right decision."

On the occasion of the anniversary of the confrontation that brought them together in 2024, specifically in the round of 16 of the “Asian Cup”, the meeting between the Saudi “Al-Akhdar” and its South Korean counterpart, “The Samson”, will be renewed, on Friday, in a friendly match hosted by “Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium” in the Qatari capital, Doha, as part of the preparatory camp held by the Saudi national team during the international break of the current month of November.

The match brings back memories of the exciting confrontation that brought together the two teams in the last edition of the continental tournament, when the Greens were minutes away from reaching the quarter-finals, before the Korean team equalized in stoppage time, extending the confrontation into two additional halves, then penalty kicks that smiled at South Korea with a score of 4-2, after the original and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw.

The anticipated confrontation comes amid different circumstances, after the Asian Football Confederation decided to reschedule the 2027 Asian Cup, which was scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, to be held instead during the period from December 23, 2027 to January 21, 2028.

The friendly match between Saudi Arabia and South Korea was included in the two parties’ preparations for the continental tournament, before the postponement decision led to an extension of the period available to the technical staff, turning the preparatory matches into an opportunity to re-evaluate the technical options and build the teams’ readiness over a longer period of time.

The Saudi national team will enter the match under the leadership of its Greek coach, Denis, who continues his technical mission after winning the Gulf Cup title, “Gulf 27”, amid aspirations to benefit from the current camp in enhancing harmony between the players, and testing new elements before the upcoming matches.

Donis chose a list of 30 players to participate in the Doha camp, which began on November 9 and will continue until the 17th, and will witness two friendly matches. The first is against South Korea, and the second is against Uzbekistan.

The list included names with international experience, led by: goalkeeper Muhammad Al-Owais, along with Saud Abdul Hamid, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Abdul-Ilah Al-Omari, Muhammad Kanno, Nasser Al-Dosari, Musab Al-Jawir, Firas Al-Braikan, and Abdullah Al-Hamdan, while the captain of the national team, Salem Al-Dosari, was absent from the camp.

The Saudi technical staff is looking to achieve the greatest possible benefit from contact with a team that includes a number of the most prominent Asian football stars, especially since the confrontation comes after the “Green” crowning in the Gulf, and at a stage that requires maintaining the international competition format despite the date of the continental championship being far away.

The Asian Cup draw placed the Saudi team in the first group alongside Palestine, Oman and Kuwait, while South Korea was placed in the second group alongside Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Jordan.

On the other hand, the South Korean national team is entering the confrontation under the leadership of its Spanish coach, Robert Moreno, who chose a list that includes a group of professional players in European leagues, in addition to elements active in local and Asian competitions.

Son Heung-min, the American Los Angeles striker, tops the prominent names on the Korean list, along with German Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, Spanish Atletico Madrid player Lee Kang-in, and English Wolverhampton player Hwang Hee-chan. The list also includes Hwang In-beom, a professional for Porto, Portugal, Lee Jae-sung, a player for Mainz, Germany, and Kim Ji-soo, a player for Brentford, England.

The confrontation holds special importance for the Korean national team, which is also preparing to meet Qatar on November 17, as part of its program of friendly matches during the international break.

On the other hand, a number of the most prominent players of the Korean national team, led by Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-sung, Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan, were keen to send a joint message to the fans, after reports on the national team’s conditions.

In their letter, the players confirmed that they discussed among themselves the issues related to the national team frankly, and that they shared the desire to provide a performance worthy of the history and status of Korean football, stressing the importance of overcoming differences and focusing on the next stage.

The players explained that their goal is to better prepare for the Asian Cup, and to benefit from the additional time provided by the postponement decision, expressing their aspiration to regain the confidence of the fans through performance and results on the field.