Australia beat Saudi Arabia in final of AFC U20 Asian Cup

Steven Hall saved the decisive spot-kick as Australia defeated Saudi Arabia 5-4 in a penalty shootout to win the AFC U20 Asian Cup at the Baoan Sports Center Stadium on Saturday Xinhua reported.

The match ended 1-1 in regular time, with neither team able to break the deadlock in extra time. In the shootout, both teams converted their first four attempts, but in the decisive fifth round, Australia scored while Saudi Arabia’s Bassam Hazazi saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Hall, securing a 5-4 victory for Australia.

Australia broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when Alexander Badolato’s cross into the box was deflected into the path of Louis Agosti, whose shot from just outside the box sailed past Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Hamed Yousef and into the bottom-left corner.

Saudi Arabia equalized as Hall was just unable to keep Talal Haji’s header from crossing the goal-line, with the goal confirmed after a VAR review.

Both sides missed a handful of chances in the second half before a fruitless additional 30 minutes of extra time led to the decisive shootout. 

The national Iranian team were beaten by Japan on penalty shootouts at the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025 quarter-final on Sunday, leaving the tournament in China. 

MNA