The Saudi Arabian national football team defeated its Chinese counterpart 1-0 on Thursday in the match held between them at **Mrsool Park Stadium** in the capital, Riyadh, as part of the seventh round of Group 3 in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the **2026 World Cup**.  

The only goal for the Saudi national team was scored by **Salem Al-Dawsari** in the 50th minute after receiving a pass from his teammate **Saud Abdulhamid**, who delivered the ball into the net.  

The match saw the expulsion of Chinese player **Lin Liangming** after a harsh tackle on Saudi player **Hassan Kadish** in the first minute of stoppage time in the first half.  

With this victory, the Saudi national team raised its points tally to nine, securing third place, one point behind Australia in second place, while China's points remained at six.  

The Saudi national team will face Japan in the eighth round of the group stage next Tuesday, while China will play against Australia.  

The top two teams from each group will directly qualify for the **2026 World Cup**, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the fourth round to compete for two additional World Cup spots and a place in the global playoff.