AFC Asian Qualifiers
The West Asian side were simply too good for Pakistan in their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group G tie at Al Fateh Club Stadium with Mancini saying the West Asian side are on the right track.
"I am happy with this one, and now I know all the players very well," said Mancini, who took charge of Saudi Arabia only in August.
"I became familiar with the players during the friendly matches and now we have a combination of experienced and young players, and the door is still open."
A Saleh Al Shehri brace and efforts from Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Abdullah Radif sealed the win but Italian Mancini dispelled suggestions that Pakistan, making their debut at this stage of the qualifiers, were easy opponents.
"There are no easy matches in football, and Pakistan played a good match."
Up next for Saudi Arabia are Jordan away on Tuesday, with their West Asian rivals having opened their campaign with a last-gasp 1-1 draw with Tajikistan on Thursday.
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