In a thrilling encounter on Friday, Al-Ettifaq pulled off a stunning 3-2 win against Al-Nassr in the 21st round of the Saudi Pro League. Under the leadership of Saad Al-Shehri, who replaced former English manager Steven Gerrard, Al-Ettifaq has been in fine form, climbing to 8th place with 28 points. Meanwhile, Al-Nassr’s campaign hit a snag as their points tally stayed at 44, leaving them in 4th spot, three points adrift of Al-Ahli in 5th place.
Al-Nassr now finds itself three points behind 3rd-placed Al-Qadisiyah, four points behind arch-rivals Al-Hilal in 2nd, and a significant eight points behind table-toppers Al-Ittihad, who are set to clash with Al-Hilal on Saturday in a high-stakes match.
The game saw Al-Nassr draw first blood through Ayman Yahya in the 47th minute, but Georginio Wijnaldum brought Al-Ettifaq level in the 55th minute. Abdulrahman Al-Fatil put Al-Nassr ahead again in the 65th minute, only to inadvertently score an own goal in the 82nd minute, handing Al-Ettifaq the equalizer. Just when it seemed the match would end in a draw, Wijnaldum stepped up again to net the winner in the 89th minute. To add to Al-Nassr’s woes, Jon Durán was sent off in the 2nd minute of injury time in the second half.
Al-Ettifaq Stuns Al-Nassr in a Nail-Biting 3-2 Thriller in Saudi Pro League
