· 2 min readIn this Al Ettifaq vs Al Nassr match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
The first major test of this new Al Nassr under Ange Postecoglou started in the worst possible way. Cristiano Ronaldo and Samu Costa were starters, but everything changed in the 12th minute. Bento was sent off after a completely unnecessary challenge, in a situation where Salem could also have dealt with it much better. Al Nassr were down to ten men and Ângelo had to come off for the 18-year-old Abdulrahman Al Otaibi.
From that point on, it stopped being a normal football match and became a matter of survival. Al Nassr dropped into a 4-4-1, with Ronaldo isolated up front, and naturally lost the ability to press high. And here I have to be very clear: Bento can’t continue at Al Nassr.
This isn’t the first time he’s failed in an important moment. There was already that absurd mistake against Al Hilal last season and now he’s compromised another big game. A goalkeeper can be decent between the posts, but if he doesn’t provide security when it’s needed most, he isn’t good enough for a team that wants to be champions.
The first goal came in the 31st minute. Coman lost the ball, Duda received it outside the box and shot without much quality, but the ball bounced all the way to Al Otaibi, who had everything under control. He couldn’t hold it and ended up putting the ball into his own net. A huge mistake from the young goalkeeper, who had been thrown into a completely absurd situation.
Even with ten men, Nassr still managed to create a few moments. Ronaldo forced Al Jawsh into a good save, João Félix also came close to equalizing and Coman produced a brilliant individual move. But winning the ball back was extremely difficult and Ettifaq continued to find space for shots from outside the box.
And in the 45+4th minute came another blow. Medrán carried the ball forward with no pressure, shot from outside the box and Al Otaibi got a touch on it again, but let it go in. Two hands and two mistakes. 2-0. It looked over.
But it wasn’t.
Ronaldo came off at half-time and João Félix became the attacking reference. Ettifaq had more possession, but weren’t exactly playing well, and Nassr started to realize they could still do something. In the 74th minute, a low pass found Mané, who moved away from his marker and pulled one back. Four minutes later, Félix delivered a perfect cross and Al Amri won it in the air to make it 2-2. Félix’s second assist and a comeback that had already looked impossible.
From there, Nassr went for the win. Mané forced Al Jawsh into another save and, in the 90th minute, the historic comeback happened. Mané appeared once again to finish and make it 2-3.
It’s a completely absurd victory. Al Nassr played almost the entire game with ten men, conceded two goals from huge individual mistakes and still managed to turn the game around. Today, we witnessed history.
Post-match
Bento was the main reason the team ended up in this situation, while Al Otaibi also had a debut to forget. But João Félix and, above all, Sadio Mané refused to accept defeat. Postecoglou’s first major test ended up being absolute madness. AL NASSR DID IT. AL NASSR ACTUALLY DID IT.
