Saudi Arabia beat Puerto Rico 3-0 after weather delay in first win under Donis

Saudi Arabia secured a 3-0 friendly win over Puerto Rico on Saturday ​in a match disrupted for nearly two ‌hours by severe weather, earning their first victory under new coach Georgios Donis ahead of the World Cup in ​North America.

The game was halted in the ​21st minute as thunderstorms and lightning forced players ⁠off the pitch and spectators to seek ​shelter, in accordance with U.S. safety protocols that suspend ​play when storms are detected within an 8-mile radius.

Repeated lightning strikes led to multiple resets of the mandatory 30-minute ​delay before play eventually resumed.

Saudi Arabia took ​the lead just before halftime when Sultan Mandash capitalised on a ‌defensive ⁠lapse inside the penalty area, before Abdullah Al Hamdan doubled the advantage in the 50th minute with a composed finish over the advancing goalkeeper ​after winning possession ​high up ⁠the pitch.

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Captain Salem Al Dawsari wrapped up the scoring in the 88th ​minute with a fine solo run, giving ​Saudi ⁠Arabia a confidence-boosting win after their 2-1 loss to Ecuador. They will face Senegal on June 9 ⁠in ​their final warm-up before opening ​their World Cup campaign in Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay and ​Cape Verde.