International friendlies: Germany 2-1 Saudi Arabia, 5 Talking Points

#2 Saudi Arabia can cause problems

Saudi Arabia didn't go down without a fight

The Green Falcons were one of the best attacking sides during the qualifiers in Asia. But most of the teams they played against aren’t even in the top 100! But there was a hint of a threat today everytime they forayed towards the final third. And Germany did wilt a few times.

Several promising counterattacks admittedly rattled the German backline, who then quickly tried to regain defensive shape, but poor man-marking and careless tracking of runs down the flanks meant the Saudis made merry going forward. They had 4 shots on target out of 12 attempts.

Salem Al-Dawsari and Yahya Al-Shehri in particular, posed huge threats from the wings, laying off crosses inside the box or cutting infield. But what Saudi lacked was the end product, as some cutting-edge finishing would’ve really put Germany to the sword.

They are touted to finish at the bottom of group A behind Uruguay, Egypt and Russia. But with the time and space afforded like today, they can put up a fair challenge in the fight for the second-place.