RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Sami Al Jaber scored three goals Monday night as
Saudi Arabia routed Vietnam 5-0 in Group 10 of Asian World Cup qualifying
tournament.
Talal Al Meshal gave the Saudis, 1994 and 1998 World Cup finalists, a 1-0
lead after 18 minutes. Al Jaber made it 2-0 on a penalty kick in the 30th
minute and added another goal five minutes into the second half.
Al Meshal scored Saudi Arabia's fourth in the 89th minute, and Al Jaber got
another in injury time.
Despite the walkover, Saudi Arabia's coach said his team had to work hard.
"I knew that we were going to face a tough game today and that's why the
performance was better than before," said Nasr Al Johar, who guided Saudi
Arabia to the final of the Asian Cup in Lebanon in October.
In the other qualifier of the day, Bangladesh beat Mongolia 3-0.
Halfway through the round, Saudi Arabia (3-0) leads Group 10 with nine
points, followed by Bangladesh (1-1-1), Vietnam (1-1-1) and Mongolia (0-3).
Saudi Arabia is ranked 36th among 203 nations by FIFA with Vietnam 99th,
Bangladesh 151st and Mongolia 196th.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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