Post: Qatar U-20 Suffer Narrow Defeat to Saudi Arabia in AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

Doha: Qatar's U-20 national football team suffered a 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia on Sunday in the third and final round of Group E action in the qualifiers for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027. Talal Ibrahim scored the decisive goal for Saudi Arabia in the 81st minute to secure all three points and maintain his side's perfect record in the group. According to Qatar News Agency, Saudi Arabia finished top of the group with nine points from three matches, followed by Oman on four points, Qatar on three, and Hong Kong on one. The result saw Saudi Arabia secure direct qualification for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 as Group E winners. In the other Group E match played on Sunday, Oman and Hong Kong drew 1-1 at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium. Saudi Arabia had opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Hong Kong, while Oman beat Qatar 2-1 in the opening round. In the second round, Saudi Arabia edged Oman 3-2, while Qatar recorded their only victory of the qualifying campaign with a 3-0 win over Hong Kong. Under the qualification format, the winner of each group qualifies directly for the finals, along with the seven best second-placed teams from the eight qualifying groups. The final tournament will be hosted by China in 2027.