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Saudi Arabia beat Togo with late winner
SITTARD, May 14 (SW) - Three days after falling in a close game to Belgium, World Cup qualifiers Saudi Arabia bounced back on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over fellow qualifiers Togo in a friendly match in Sittard, Holland.
Group H competitors Saudi Arabia looked like they would be heading for another disappointing result until the 85th minute as a well-placed pass by Mohammed Haidar found its way to Malek al-Hawsawi, and he made no mistake slotting it past goalkeeper Ouro Tchanirou for the match winner.
Togo, who will be playing in Group G, next have a tuneup on 2 June against Liechtenstein while Saudi Arabia's next opponent will be the Czech Republic in Riyadh on 26 May.
Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed al-Deayea, who is the world record holder with 181 caps, sat out the game with second-choice goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid going the entire 90 minutes on Sunday.
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