Nawaf Al-Aqidi #1

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Saudi Arabia squeezed through to the World Cup thanks in part to a fine injury-time save from Al-Aqidi in the final playoff against Iraq. Saudi Arabia needed a draw and the game finished 0-0. “We had to hold our breath but he came through for us as we knew he would,” said the previous coach Hervé Renard. The goalkeeper added: "We have achieved something extraordinary, truly unbelievable.” Al-Aqidi was in the squad for the 2022 tournament but very much the third choice and never saw a single minute but in the same year was the star of the Under-23 team which won the West Asian Football Federation Championship title without conceding a single goal. Since then, the Riyadh-born shotstopper star has, like most Saudi goalkeepers, been looking for regular playing time at home amid an influx of foreign goalkeepers. Went on loan to Al-Fateh for the second part of the 2024-25 season and did well but returned to Al-Nassr to be in and out of the side.

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