June 6 (Reuters) - - 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.
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.
(Reporting Ashraf Hamed Atta, Editing by Louise Heavens)
