MALE — Saudi Arabia's women's national football team has won its first ever international match, beating the Seychelles 2-0 in a friendly match in the Maldives on Sunday. The team overseen by German coach Monika Staab took the lead just 14 minutes into the tie when Al-Bandari Mubarak found the net. They went 2-0 up early in the second half when Maryam Al-Tamimi scored a penalty. Staab said after the game: "Our goal is for the players to gain the experience necessary to play international matches, in addition to our aim for our official entry into the FIFA classification." The Saudi side will face Maldives in their next match on February 24. The team was established just last month and travelled to Maldives this week to play matches against the host nation and Seychelles. Staab had stressed that the goal of the mini-tournament was to gain as much experience as possible. "Our goal is for the players to gain the experience necessary to play international matches, in addition to our aim for our official entry into the FIFA classification." The Women's Football Department at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation will hope that these two fixtures are the start of a journey that will see the team eventually gain FIFA certification. Also, Brazil legend Pele took to Twitter to express his admiration for the Saudi side. "I want to congratulate the [Saudi Arabia Football Federation] and their Women's National Football Team for their first ever official [FIFA] match," he wrote. "Today is a historic day not only for you, but for everyone who loves football."
