DNA
DAMMAM: In a night that was expected by some to mark a significant shift in Al-Qadsiah’s standing among the top five in Saudi football, Brendan Rodgers’ side came up short in their home clash against Al-Ittihad, the first major Pro League showdown of the season.
The good news for Al-Qadsiah was that this was not the Al-Ittihad who won the league two seasons ago; it was a team fractured by significant departures, underwhelming signings and a year of turmoil at board level.
The bad news for Al-Qadsiah was that they failed to score against opponents who played most of the second half with 10 men and ultimately suffered a 1-0 defeat. It was the first time they had lost at home in 587 days.
The night marked the long-awaited debut of Tijjani Reijnders for the home side. The Dutch international replaced Otavio in the 57th minute as Rodgers looked to inject some much-needed attacking impetus. He did not look out of place but faced the unenviable task of breaking down a 10-man team that had retreated deep within their own half to preserve a slender lead.
The goal that gave Al-Ittihad that lead came from the promising 20-year-old, George Ilenikhena. After scoring a brace against Al-Najma in the King Cup during the week, it was no surprise that head coach Jens Wissing chose to include him alongside Youssef En-Nesyri.
He did not disappoint. On the stroke of half time, he received the ball on the edge of the box from a corner and lashed a strike past goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar to give his side the lead.
It was a failure by Al-Kassar to hold a weak, long-range effort from Faris Abdi that led to the corner, causing fans perhaps to question whether leaving Koen Casteels out of the squad to free up a spot for another foreign player was a wise decision.
The result, though undoubtedly disappointing for Al-Qadsiah, does not mean they were not the better side for large stretches of the game. In fact they had the ball in the net no fewer than four times, three of them courtesy of Julian Quinones and one through Mateo Retegui, only for all four efforts to be ruled offside.
Al-Ittihad also had a goal chopped off, when En-Nesyri broke past the defense and chipped the ball over Al-Kassar.
Many factors contributed to Al-Ittihad’s survival on the night. Last-ditch blocks proved vital for the Tigers, alongside some stellar saves from Predrag Rajkovic. And despite all the uncertainty and concern about the team and their difficult situation right now, Wissing managed the game effectively, not least when you consider that Dion Lopy was sent off two minutes into the second half for a second yellow card.
Al-Ittihad quickly shifted to a 4-4-1 formation, with Mukhtar Ali coming on for Steven Bergwijn to shore up the midfield. By the time Reijnders came on, he had little space to work with and was often forced to drop in behind the Al-Ittihad midfield in an attempt to have any influence at all on play.
Overall, this had the feel of a game in which Al-Qadsiah were always going to struggle to score, even after Mohammed Al-Qahtani came on. He had entered the game as a sub in Al-Qadsiah’s opening league fixture against Al-Shabab and helped them earn a late 3-1 victory with a brilliant assist for Quinones for their second goal. This time, he was denied a goal of his own by a fine save from Rajkovic in the 86th minute.
Ultimately, the victory comes at a sensitive and significant time for Al-Ittihad and Wissing. In such turbulent circumstances, beating the league’s standout dark horses, arguably the best SPL side of the calendar year, in their fortress of a stadium will have been a massive relief, especially after dropping points in a draw with Al-Kholood in their opening fixture.
Earlier, Al-Nassr put four past local rivals Al-Riyadh in a performance that earned widespread plaudits. The stars of the show were once again Angelo and Joao Felix. The former set up Abdulelah Al-Amri’s opener in the 18th minute before scoring himself just before half-time. Felix added a third in the 58th minute.
