Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Zerqa City: Syria set up a decisive showdown with Saudi Arabia on Sunday after a 3-0 victory over Afghanistan in their penultimate match in Group D of the AFC U-16 Championship 2014 qualifiers on Friday put the two points behind the Saudis with one round of matches to play.
But Syria, who were without defender Mohamad Mohamad following his sending off in the last minute of their dramatic 4-4 draw with Jordan, didn’t have it as comfortable as the score line suggests and needed to wait until the 69th minute to finally break down the resilient Afghans, with skipper Mohammad Jaddoua breaking the deadlock at the Prince Mohammad International Stadium.
Substitute Mahmoud Al Hallak, who had come on at the start of the second half to replace Mahmoud Kibabi, gave Syria some breathing space when he scored the second with a minute of the 90 remaining before the forward was on target again three minutes into stoppage time.
Syria now face a top-of-the-table clash with the Saudis, who came from a goal down to defeat Group D hosts Jordan 2-1 to win their second match after defeating Afghanistan (2-0) in their opening fixture.