Al Nassr came from two goals down to defeat hosts Al Ettifaq 3-2 after playing with 10 men from the 12th minute in a dramatic Saudi Pro League third-round encounter.
اضافة اعلان
The visitors faced a major setback when goalkeeper Bento was sent off, but Al Nassr produced a remarkable second-half comeback to secure all three points.
Bento Red Card Puts Al Nassr in Trouble
Al Nassr began the match on the attack, but Al Ettifaq looked more dangerous during stretches of the opening period before the visitors suffered a major blow in the 12th minute.
Bento came off his line and brought down Moussa Dembélé, prompting the referee to show the Al Nassr goalkeeper a straight red card.
Al Nassr was forced into an early substitution, with young goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi replacing Angelo to take over in goal.
Doudou and Medrán Double the Lead
Al Ettifaq took advantage of the numerical advantage and increased the pressure before opening the scoring in the 31st minute.
The ball reached Doudou on the edge of the penalty area, and he fired a shot into the top corner to put the hosts ahead.
In the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half, Álvaro Medrán doubled Al Ettifaq's lead with a powerful strike from outside the box following a pass from Yasser Al-Shammari, sending the hosts into halftime 2-0 ahead.
Ronaldo Substituted as Mané and Al-Amri Complete Comeback
Al Nassr entered the second half determined to fight back and made a change, bringing on Abdullah Al-Khaibari in place of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Iñigo Martínez came close to reducing the deficit in the 53rd minute, but his effort struck the post. Al Ettifaq's goalkeeper then denied an attempt from João Félix.
In the 74th minute, Félix played a through ball to Sadio Mané, who burst into the penalty area before firing a right-footed shot into the right corner to pull one goal back for Al Nassr.
The equalizer came just three minutes later. Félix delivered a corner in the 77th minute, which Abdulilah Al-Amri converted from close range to make it 2-2.
Al Nassr continued to press for the winner, with the Al Ettifaq goalkeeper saving a Mané effort in the 82nd minute. The visitors were also caught offside twice in the 89th and 90th minutes.
Source: Kooora
