SEOUL — Saudi Arabia won its first Under-20 World Cup Soccer game since 2011 as Abdulrahman Al-Yami scored once in each half to beat Ecuador 2-1 Group F in Incheon Thursday.
The Green Falcons needed just seven minutes to get on the board when Ayman Al-Khulaif turned Pervis Estupinan before sliding a perfectly-weighted through ball to Al-Yami. The striker made no mistake with a clear look at goal as he drove his shot past Gian Terreros off the post and in.
Ecuador responded with several attacks, mainly down its left flank as Estupinan and Bryan Cabezas combined well. It looked like its equalizer was coming right before half-time when Herlin Lino was fouled in the penalty area. Cabezas stepped up to take it but his attempt was saved by Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Amin Al-Bukhari.
The Ecuadorians continued to attack in the second half, but Al-Bukhari was up to each challenge. Saudi Arabia then doubled its lead in the 84th minute through the same attacking pair that combined for the first goal. Al-Khulaif found an open Al-Yami on the back post and the striker put the chance away to ultimately give his side all three points.
Ecuador responded with a goal of its own in the 88th minute through substitute Jordy Caicedo with a close-range finish, but it proved to be mere consolation.
France eased into the knockout stage after beating Vietnam 4-0.
Jean Augustin scored twice to atone for his fifth-minute penalty miss, and another scorer was Marcus Thuram, the son of 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram.
France topped Group E ahead of New Zealand, which beat Honduas 3-1.
The United States moved to the brink of advancing from Group F after edging Senegal 1-0 with Josh Sargent’s third goal of the tournament in just his second cap.
The US needs a point against Saudi Arabia Saturday to be certain of a place in the second round.
The European champion France really should have been in front inside five minutes, but Augustin opted for an audacious ‘Panenka’ style penalty, seeing it cannon back off the bar. However, it was not left waiting long, as Marcus Thuram rose high to power a header beyond Bui Tien Dung.
Augustin was then presented with the chance to make amends, laid on by Thuram’s neat through ball, and this time he gobbled up the opportunity gladly. He doubled his tally right on half-time, exchanging passes with Ludovic Blas before thumping France into the break well into the lead.
Denis Poha added an elegant fourth, Blas again on assist duty, placing his strike over the keeper from 20 yards out. A second yellow for Tran Dinh Trong hardly helped matters for Vietnam, but the margin remained at four. — Agencies
