Two goals in first-half stoppage time helped Saudi Arabia beat Hong Kong 3-0 in the first leg of their World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
For much of the first half, the Saudis didn't look like a team that had qualified four times for the World Cup. It struggled to break down the Hong Kong defense before getting its attack going just before the break.
Al Shabab striker Nasser al-Shamrani broke the deadlock a minute into first-half stoppage time and Osama al-Harbi doubled the home side's lead two minutes later.
The Saudis put the match out of reach when al-Shamrani scored his second only two minutes after the restart.
The return leg will be in Hong Kong Thursday.
The first-half struggles of Saudi Arabia illustrate it is still not yet back to the form that saw it dominate Asia over the past decade, appearing in the 2006, 2002, 1998 and 1994 World Cups.
It sacked Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro after a stunning 2-1 loss to Syria in the Asian Cup opener. Then it forced out his replacement, Nassir al-Johar, after the team exited the tournament with a 5-0 loss to Japan in the group stage.
It then went months without hiring a coach before choosing Vasco da Gama coach Ricardo Gomes and then rescinding the offer after rejecting his demands for taking over its national team. It then settled on former Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard to lead the team, just weeks before starting its World Cup campaign.
