Hassan Kadish scored two headers, including a late winner, as 10-man Saudi Arabia came from behind to beat China 2-1 on Tuesday in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier.

In the first round of matches last week, China had suffered a heavy 7-0 away defeat to Japan, while Saudi Arabia had drawn 1-1 at home to Indonesia.

Jiang Shenglong (1st R) of China heads the ball during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers match between China and Saudi Arabia in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Xingyu)

"It was a tough game as we played with one man down for most of the time. I want to congratulate my players for getting this win," Saudi Arabia head coach Roberto Mancini said at the post-match conference.

In front of 48,628 home fans, China broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, when Jiang Shenglong's header forced an own goal from Ali Lajami, following a precise corner from Fei Nanduo.

Just five minutes later, Mohamed Kanno was given a straight red card for a violent foul on Jiang.

Despite being a player down, Kadish equalized for Saudi Arabia with a header from a corner in the 39th minute.

China captain Wu Lei nearly put his team ahead in first-half stoppage time, but his header hit the crossbar.

In the 54th minute, substitute Wang Shangyuan thought his header had put China ahead, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

In the 81st minute, Mancini made three substitutes and controlled the rest of the game. "I wanted to win, so I brought on some offensive players," the Italian said of his changes.

With just seconds remaining in regular time, Kadish scored his second header from a corner, silencing the home fans and securing Saudi Arabia's first victory in Group C.

China head coach Branko Ivankovic denied that he would resign following two straight defeats. "The question shouldn't be directed at me. We suffered a substantial loss in the first match, but we improved in the second. This group includes some strong opponents, and our goal is to reach the top four. We're working towards that, with eight matches still remaining," he stated.

The 70-year-old Croatian explained his decision to delay any substitutions until the 90th minute. "The team was well-organized on the pitch, so I decided not to make changes. The match was very complicated, so I needed some substitutes available to handle different situations."

In Tuesday's other action, Australia were held to a goalless draw by Indonesia, with Bahrain's match against Japan scheduled for later that evening.

After two matches, China currently sit rock bottom of Group C with no points. "We will carefully analyze our opponents and strive for better results," Ivankovic added. 

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