· 2 min readIn this Al Diriyah vs Al Nassr match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Al Nassr entered the King’s Cup as clear favourites, even without Cristiano Ronaldo, and the expectation was for a relatively comfortable win against newly promoted Al Diriyah. But the start was anything but comfortable. Diriyah took advantage of their first opportunity straight away: in the 2nd minute, Al Faraj appeared on the right, cut the ball back low along the byline and it went through Salem’s legs before reaching the far post, where Óscar Rodríguez only had to tap it in. A perfect start for Bruno Lage’s side.
Nassr’s response didn’t take long. In the 11th minute, from a corner to the far post, João Félix controlled the ball, took it towards the byline and played a low ball across to Simakan, who finished with his heel. A beautiful goal to make it 1-1 and a demonstration of the individual quality Al Nassr have at their disposal.
From there, the team started to grow into the game, although it remained relatively even. Coman was finding space with his runs, but the final pass was almost always missing, while Mané also came close to a second with a shot that went just past the far post.
There was, however, one problem that seemed obvious to me: a gap between the defence + Samu and the rest of the team, in his first game as a starter. Whenever the midfield dropped without the defensive line following, Diriyah found space for Óscar Rodríguez, clearly their main creator. The Spaniard had already forced Bento into a save and was finding far too much freedom.
Until Nassr accelerated. In the 36th minute, Coman moved inside, Ângelo received out wide and found João Félix at the far post for 1-2. A minute later, Mané beat his marker and played the ball into the path of Al-Hamdan, who, through on goal, calmly lifted his finish over Bento with great quality. In two minutes, the game completely changed. 1-3.
Diriyah still threatened, with N’Koudou cutting inside and forcing Bento into a save from a low shot that hit the post, but Nassr went into half-time ahead.
In the second half, Diriyah had more of the ball and looked to reduce the deficit, but the difference was clear: this time, Al Nassr were much more solid defensively. Mané still missed a huge opportunity after an excellent pass from Samu Costa, but the night was mainly about João Félix. In the 68th minute, Boushal received on the right and put a low ball into the box, where Félix arrived at pace to shoot and make it 1-4. A goal, an assist and a performance full of dribbling and quality.
After that, Al Nassr naturally lowered the tempo. They continued to control the game, while Diriyah chased a goal that never really looked close. In the second half, they ended up without a single shot on target. A 1-4 win and progression in the competition, in a game that started with a scare but ultimately showed the clear difference between the two teams and the quality of Nassr’s squad, especially in attack.
Post-match
Good win for Al Nassr in the Saudi King’s Cup and they move on. João Félix is having an unbelievable run of form.
