São Paulo – In the latest round of World Cup warm-up matches, which began last Thursday (4), only one Arab team emerged victorious: Saudi Arabia defeated Puerto Rico 3–0 on Friday (5). All other matches involving Arab national teams ended in draws or defeats. Egypt, led by star forward Mohamed Salah, lost 2–1 to Brazil on Saturday (6).
Morocco, which finished fourth at the last World Cup and will face Brazil in both teams’ tournament opener, was held to a 1–1 draw by Norway on Sunday (7). Although the Moroccan defense managed to contain Norwegian star Erling Haaland, the team ended its run of warm-up matches with two concerns: right-back Noussair Mazraoui left the field in the first half with a shoulder injury, while forward Abdessamad Ezzalzouli did not return after halftime due to a knee injury. Both are doubtful for the opener.
On Saturday (6), Tunisia played in Brussels, Belgium, and was thrashed 5–0 by the hosts. In addition to being unable to contain the European side, the team saw attacking midfielder Ismael Gharbi sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
Saudi Arabia claimed its first victory under Greek coach Georgios Donis. The match was played in Texas, United States, one of the tournament’s host countries alongside Canada and Mexico. With goals from Sultan Mandash in the first half and Abdullah Al Hamdan and Salem Al Dawsari after the break, the Arab side appears nearly ready for the World Cup. It has one more friendly scheduled before its opener, facing Senegal on Tuesday (9).
Qatar faces the challenge of improving its finishing. Julen Lopetegui’s side controlled nearly 60% of possession against El Salvador on Saturday (6) but generated little threat in front of goal, managing just seven shots on target. It also allowed the opposition to create better scoring opportunities. Even so, the match ended in a scoreless draw.
Iraq heads into the World Cup after earning a 1–1 draw against one of the tournament favorites, Spain, on Spanish soil last Thursday (4). Spain took the lead in the 15th minute of the first half, but Merchas Doski equalized 11 minutes later. Despite the result, Iraq finished with just 34% possession and fewer shots on goal than its opponent. The Iraqis have one more match before their World Cup opener, facing Venezuela on Tuesday (9).
Jordan coach Jamal Sellami used Sunday’s (7) match against Colombia in San Diego, California, to test a variety of players and tactical setups. Jordan threatened the Colombian goal late in the second half but was largely outplayed as Colombia secured a 2–0 victory thanks to a brace from forward John Arias.
Algeria’s most recent match was a 1–0 win over the Netherlands on June 3. The Algerians return to action on Tuesday (9) against Bolivia, with kickoff time yet to be confirmed.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
