Ali Azaiza joins the Olympic national team roster for the Asian Cup finals

The national under-23 team continues its physical and technical training in preparation for facing Saudi Arabia at 7:30 PM on Friday, January 9, at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, as part of the Asian Cup competition.

The team conducted its training session on Wednesday at the training grounds of King Abdullah Sports City, under the supervision of coach Omar Najhi. The session focused on recovery exercises following the match against Vietnam, alongside some tactical drills.

The national team suffered a 2-0 defeat against Vietnam in the match held on Tuesday, January 6, at the secondary pitch of King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

The lineup for the match included: Abdulrahman Suleiman, Arafat Al-Haj, Ahmed Ayman, Ali Hajbi, Mohammad Taha, Abdullah Al-Munees (Anas Al-Khab), Youssef Qashi (Saif Suleiman), Hashem Mubaidin, Khaldoun Sabra (Moamen Al-Saket), Mahmoud Dheeb (Amin Al-Shanayneh), and Odeh Al-Fakhouri.

The team displayed a mixed performance throughout both halves. An early goal came for the opponent in the 15th minute via a successfully executed penalty, followed by a second goal just before the end of the first half.

In the second half, the national team increased offensive efforts to reach the opponent’s goal but failed to convert opportunities, and the match ended in a 2-0 loss.

Ali Azaiza joined the national team roster for the Asian Cup finals, replacing Ahmed Al-Maghrabi, who was sidelined due to a hamstring injury requiring additional rest under the supervision of the team’s medical staff.

The final roster includes: Abdulrahman Suleiman, Murad Al-Falouji, Salama Salman, Ali Hajbi, Mohammad Al-Shatti, Jaafar Samara, Arafat Al-Haj, Ahmed Ayman, Mohammad Taha, Ayham Al-Samareh, Ali Azaiza, Abdullah Al-Munees, Saleh Freij, Hashem Al-Mubaidin, Saif Suleiman, Youssef Qashi, Odeh Al-Fakhouri, Moamen Al-Saket, Mahmoud Dheeb, Amin Al-Shanayneh, Anas Al-Khab, Khaldoun Sabra, Bakr Kalbouna.

The national team will conclude the group stage by facing Kyrgyzstan at the same time on January 12 at the secondary pitch of King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

According to the tournament format, the 16 participating teams are divided into four groups, each comprising four teams, competing in a single-round league format. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals.