Roaring Success: Afghanistan Begin Asian Cup Campaign with Big Win

Afghanistan launched their AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 Group D campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Saudi Arabia 3–0 at the Jakarta International Velodrome on Wednesday.

Reza Hosseinpoor was the standout performer, scoring twice as the 2024 quarter-finalists delivered the strong start they had been targeting.

Saudi Arabia threatened early, creating the first clear chance in the second minute when Abdullah Alaqeeli sent Eihab Mohamed through on goal, but goalkeeper Javad Safari reacted sharply to push away the powerful effort.

Afghanistan responded with chances of their own through Omid Qanbari and Hosseinpoor, though both attempts were comfortably handled by Saudi goalkeeper Humood Aldahhan. The end-to-end contest continued, with Safari later denying Saleh Alqarni before Aldahhan kept out efforts from Seyed Hossein Mousavi and captain Akbar Kazemi.

Sustained Afghan pressure finally paid off just seconds before halftime. Hosseinpoor saw his initial shot saved by Aldahhan but reacted quickest to fire in the rebound and give his side a deserved lead.

The Central Asian side picked up where they left off after the break, coming close to doubling their advantage when Kazemi’s deflected strike clipped the crossbar. At the other end, Safari produced another crucial save to deny Mohamed from close range.

Afghanistan’s second goal arrived in the 28th minute, once again through Hosseinpoor. In a near replica of his opener, his first attempt was blocked, but the forward made no mistake with the rebound, driving the ball into the bottom corner.

Saudi Arabia’s late switch to a flying goalkeeper proved costly, as Afghanistan intercepted possession and Omid Qanbari calmly slotted the ball into an empty net to seal a convincing 3–0 victory.

In the next round of Group D fixtures, Afghanistan will face Malaysia, while Saudi Arabia take on Iran. Both matches will be played on Friday.