By Jason Hughes, PA International, Sapporo

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Saudi Arabia's football chief has promised more surprises from the team that provided one of the great World Cup moments of recent years.

The Saudis had never been at a finals before USA 94, but Saeed Owairan's wonderful solo goal lit up the tournament as they defied the odds to reach the second round.

The forward picked the ball up at the halfway line before leaving defenders in his wake to score one of the World Cup's greatest goals in their decisive win over Belgium.

And Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz, head of the Saudi Arabian Football Association, is confident they can stir it up again despite being pitted against African champions Cameroon, three-time winners Germany and the Republic of Ireland, who pipped Holland in qualifying.

Abdulaziz, whose side start up with Germany in Sapporo on Saturday, said: "We are sure we can make our way into the second round and we have not had any other thoughts in our heads except those.

"I am sure we can do it. The team is fully prepared and there are no injury worries.

"The technical staff have planned everything to perfection."

Although they disappointed in France 98, Abdulaziz believes they can rebuild the team's reputation as an emerging force this time around.

He said: "When we reached the finals in 94, the players had a certain vigour about them. Certain circumstances, however, worked against us four years later.

"We hope that in this campaign we can improve our image in football.

"We sincerely want our dreams to come true and I hope the players will perform to the level that is required of them."

The Saudis come into the game on the back of their Gulf Cup triumph over Iran, continuing the resurgence under coach Nasser Al Johar in his second spell in charge.

When he returned to the hot seat last year, he picked up a faltering qualifying campaign to inspire them to a third successive finals.

And Abdulaziz, who is the grandson of the Saudi Arabian king, was keen to stress how valued Al Johar is, countering reports that they were seeking a big name coach to take the reins.

"As for the coach and the technical staff, we trust them and they deserve it," he said.

"Al Johar will continue in his work whatever the results are."