S-Oil, a leading refinery in Korea, joined the cheering squad rooting for the Saudi Arabian soccer team during the 2014 Asian Games.

On Friday, the firm’s executives and employees waved Saudi Arabia’s national flag and shouted the names of each player during a soccer match between Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in the final 16 at the Incheon Asian Games, held at the Goyang Sports Complex.

Saudi Arabia defeated Uzbekistan 3-2 to advance to the final 8.

S-Oil, in which Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest crude exporter, held a more than 50 percent stake as of September, said it will root for other Saudi Arabian teams as well during the Asian sports event, which will run until Oct. 4. in Incheon.

S-Oil has played a bridge-building role in the field of private economic cooperation since 1991, when Saudi Aramco became the largest shareholder, taking over a 35 percent stake.

“We will root passionately for Saudi Arabian teams so that the Incheon Asian Games will serve as an opportunity to further cement the friendship between Saudi Arabia and Korea in various fields such as sports and culture,” said an S-Oil employee who visited the stadium along with coworkers.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)