Egypt’s World Cup campaign ended in disappointment as a late strike by Salem Al Dawsari condemned them to a 2-1 defeat on Monday.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring at Volgograd Arena in the 22nd minute.
Saudi equalised from the spot through Salman Al Faraj on the stroke of half-time after Essam El Hadary had saved an earlier penalty from Fahad Al Muwallad.
Al Dawsari then scored a dramatic winner deep into stoppage time to ensure his side leaves Russia with three points to show for their efforts.
Here, we rate the performances of the Saudi players.
STARTING XI
Yasser Al Mosailem – Had a surprisingly quiet outing with Egypt’s shooting proving to be wayward. Not much he could do for the goal and didn’t have a single save to make otherwise. 6
Mohammed Al Burayk – Largely kept Trezeguet quiet, making more tackles than any of his team-mates. A solid defensive display. 6
Osama Hawsawi – A subdued performance. Dealt with Marwan Mohsen easily. 5
Motaz Hawsawi – Showed a good turn of pace to keep pace with Salah on one occasion but then lost him for the goal. 5
Yasser Al Shahrani – Known for his attacking instincts, he showed plenty of enterprise down that left flank and got forward to deliver a few crosses. 6
Abdullah Otayf – Anchored the midfield well, making more passes (115) than anyone else and produced the assist for the dramatic last-gasp winner. 7
Salman Al Faraj – Had a good shot from the edge of the box blocked by Ahmed Hegazy. Produced good delivery into the box to give El Hadary a couple of headers to deal with. Sprayed the ball around well with six key passes and 11 of his 13 long balls finding a team-mate. 8
Hattan Bahebri – Blazed a volley over the bar from inside the area in the second half. Had four attempts in total. Didn’t offer any width. 4
Hussain Al Mogahwi – Produced a good save from El Hadary with a fine header. Had an acrobatic effort late on as well. Was good in possession. 6
Salem Al Dawsari – Showed plenty of pace down the left side. Went on a good run in the first half, beating players through the middle before firing over the bar. Terrorised defenders with his dribbling and scored the all-important winner at the death. 8
Fahad Al Muwallad – Always threatened in behind. Had an early pop at goal that flew wide. Had his penalty saved before winning the second – rather softly – from which Saudi equalised. 5
SUBS
Muhannad Assiri – Came on for Bahbri in the 65th minute and forced a good save from El Hadary when he was allowed a free header from a corner. Otherwise anonymous. 5
Yahya Al Shehri – Replaced Muwallad in the 79th minute and struggled to get involved. N/A
