The Saudi national team suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of Serbia, losing 2-1 in a friendly match at the TSC Arena in Belgrade.
The Green Falcons had previously been thrashed 4-0 by Egypt in Jeddah, leading to mounting criticism of Hervé Renard and numerous calls for his dismissal before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia showed a relatively strong response in the first half against Serbia, with Abdullah Al-Hamdan scoring the opening goal in the eighth minute.
However, Saudi Arabia couldn’t withstand Serbia’s pressure and numerous chances in the second half. Strahinja Pavlovic equalized in the 66th minute, and Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the winning goal in the 70th minute.
This defeat increases the likelihood of Renard’s dismissal, despite the Saudi Arabian Football Federation issuing an official statement before the Serbia match confirming that the coach would not be sacked, contrary to rumors circulating in recent hours.
It is said that the Saudi Federation has approached several coaches to take over the position, including Walid Regragui, the former Morocco coach, and Saad Al-Shehri, the current Al-Ettifaq coach.
