Dec 4 : Saeed Al-Owairan’s breathtaking solo goal against Belgium at the 1994 World Cup – a 70-metre run past five defenders that sealed Saudi Arabia’s place in the last 16 – remains the Kingdom’s proudest football memory.

Three decades later, Saudi Arabia head into Friday’s FIFA World Cup draw in Washington buoyed up by their third consecutive qualification and seventh overall, hoping to build on recent continental and global progress.

They clinched their ticket to next year's expanded 48-team tournament in North America after a tense 0-0 draw with Iraq in Jeddah in October, topping Group B on goal difference in the Asian playoff round. Goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi’s stoppage-time save preserved the point that sent their fans into raptures.

"We have achieved something extraordinary, truly

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