Al Ettifaq vs Al Nassr: No Ronaldo, no party! Al Nassr stumbles to a 2-1 loss to Al Ettifaq. Steven Gerrard wins his first game as Al-Ettifaq manager. Mane’s early strike placed Al Nassr up, while Al Ettifaq struggled to create any clear-cut chances in the first half. However, the half-time team talk appears to have encouraged the home team, as they came out brightly, scoring two goals in six minutes, thanks to two custodian errors, to overturn the score and begin the season on a winning note.
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Moussa Dembele scored the game-winning goal in Al Ettifaq’s first competitive match under new manager Steven Gerrard. In the Saudi Pro League, captain Jordan Henderson led a 2-1 comeback victory over Al Nassr.
Dembele, a former Lyon, Celtic, and Fulham striker, converted Vitinho’s deflected cross eight minutes after the break. His new club rallied after falling behind to Sadio Mane’s fourth-minute goal.
Gerrard’s team was captained by Jordan Henderson. He took advantage of goalkeeper Nawaf Alaqidi’s error by sending in the corner that led to Robin Quaison’s equalise six minutes earlier.
At the half, Reds veteran Gerrard was on course to extend his wait for a win as a manager beyond 11 months. Mane scored his first goal for the Saudi Public Investment Fund-owned team after clipping in Ali Alhassan’s close-range cutback.
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Soon after, Mane almost added a second with a volley, but was denied a late level when an offside flag ruled out his ruthless first-time volley. In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr suffered their first defeat.
The visitors rattled the woodwork twice, with the first coming from midfielder Abdulmajeed Al Sulayhem. On the second occasion, Ayman Yahya’s rebound attempt was valiantly blocked by the body of defender Marcel Tisserand.
In the blazing heat, exhaustion was an issue, with numerous players suffering cramps and injuries in the closing stages. This resulted in 14 minutes of extra time at the end of the second half.
In the 88th minute, Henderson was replaced by the more defensive-minded Berat Ozdemir. Al Ettifaq hung on to start the season with three points.
Al Ettifaq vs Al Nassr XI
Al Ettifaq XI – Victor (GK); Tisserand, Abdullah Khateeb, Hendry, Sanousi; Al Ghamdi, Hazzazi, Henderson (C), Alghamdi; Dembele, Quaison
Al Nassr XI – Nawaf (GK); Boushal, Fatil, Mukhtar, Konan; Al Khaibari, Al Hasan, Al Sulaihem, Al Alewa; Ghareeb, Mane
