Saudi eye third AFC U-19 Cup

Manama : Saudi Arabia stepped up its preparations for the title clash tomorrow  against highly fancied and six-time runner Japan for the AFC U-19 Football Championship crown.

The final is scheduled to take place at the National Stadium in Riffa kicks off at 5.30pm with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) naming Qatari referee Khamis Al Marri to run the final match.

The Gulf side will look to win their third title in this continental competition, but face a sturdy challenge from Japan, who seek their first-ever AFC U-19 Championship trophy.

Both sides have mixed fortune in the semi-finals as Saudi Arabia edged a stubborn Iran 6-5, while Japan cruised to a 3-0 victory over Vietnam Saudi Arabia coach Saad Al Shehri hopes his team can solve the defensive lapses from their semi-final victory, and show a more solid defence tomorrow against Japan.

“We are very happy to reach the final which was very exciting, but we have to get rid of the mistakes we made and have never been involved in a match like that before,” he said.

Japan’s coach Atsushi Uchiyama is hopeful of making history as Japan reached the final of the AFC U-19 Championship for the first time since 2006.

“It is going to be a very difficult game for us. Our opponents have showed overall strong and deserve to be in the final like ourselves and I hope we get the right balance for the final match.”