Saudi Arabia concluded its preparations for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a 4-1 win over China in an international friendly played at Teda Stadium in Tianjin, China, Thursday. Striker Yasser Al-Qahtani put the Saudis ahead five minutes into the game but Jiang Ning drew level the game in the 33rd minute. Mohammed Noor, however, helped the Kingdom regain the lead few minutes before the break while Naif Hazazi increased the margin in the 72nd minute. Substitute Abdul Aziz Bin Saran sealed the win two minutes from time from the spot. The match was the second for Saudi Arabia in less than 10 days before the team plays South Korea in their Group B Asian World Cup qualifier on June 10. China, which held Germany to a 1-1 draw in an exhibition match in Shanghai last week has failed to qualify for the World Cup. The Saudis are third in the group with 10 points from six games while South Korea tops the pool with 11 points from five games, followed by its northern neighbor on 10 points from six games. Saudi Arabia, however, lost its first friendly 2-1 against Qatar in Doha last week. Saudi Arabia coach Jose Peseiro said he will be using the friendlies to test the performance of his players. The 27-player squad had flown to China last Tuesday for a short training camp before the team travels to South Korea where Peseiro will announce his final team. Costa Ricans rip US In Costa Rica, Alvario Saborio and Selso Borges scored early goals to give Costa Rica a 3-1 victory over the United States here on Wednesday, putting the Ticos atop North America's World Cup 2010 qualifying. Costa Rica improved to 3-1 for nine points in the North and Central America and Caribbean region (CONCACAF) to move past the Americans, who slid to 2-1-1 for seven points to stand second in the six-nation hexagonal qualifying event. The top three teams advance directly to the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa. The fourth-place team must come through against the fifth-best from South America in a playoff to reach South Africa. The Americans suffered their sixth loss in a row at Costa Rica, the longest US road losing streak to any foe, and remained winless on the artificial turf of Saprissa Stadium, known for rowdy supporters fenced off near the pitch. The Ticos seized the lead in the opening seconds when Saborio sent the ball high and bent it around diving US goalkeeper Tim Howard. Saborio netted the second-fastest goal ever allowed by the US lineup in a World Cup qualifier, the only faster being a header in the first minute by Carlos Hermosillio in a 2-2 draw with Mexico from 1997. Borges took a pass from Esteban Sirias and blasted the ball into the net in the 12th minute to double the hosts' edge. Pablo Herrera put the finishing touches on the rout in the 68th minute as the margin matched the 3-0 drubbing suffered by the US team in 2005 in their most recent prior visit to Costa Rica. Landon Donovan averted a shutout with a penalty kick in the second minute of stoppage time, netting the first US goal in Costa Rica since 2000 with a right
