Al Nassr staged a thrilling comeback against Al Ettifaq, overturning a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-2 victory in the match played on Tuesday evening at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, as part of the third round of the Saudi Pro League.
The match got off to a difficult start for Al Nassr, as defender Bento was sent off in the 12th minute, leaving the team with 10 players for the remainder of the game. Their situation became even more challenging when the hosts took the lead.
Al Ettifaq opened the scoring in the 31st minute through Ondrej Duda, taking advantage of their numerical superiority. The hosts were then awarded a penalty in first-half stoppage time, which Álvaro Medrán converted in the 45+4th minute to make it 2-0.
Despite trailing by two goals and playing with 10 men, Al Nassr refused to give up and continued searching for a way back into the match. Their efforts paid off in the 74th minute when Sadio Mané pulled one goal back to revive his team’s hopes.
Just three minutes later, Abdulilah Al-Amri completed the comeback by scoring the equalizer, bringing the match level and setting up a dramatic finish.
With the game seemingly heading toward a draw, Mané once again stepped up in stoppage time, scoring the winning goal for Al Nassr in the 90+1st minute to complete a remarkable comeback despite the numerical disadvantage.
The victory takes Al Nassr to 9 points, allowing them to maintain their position at the top of the Saudi Pro League with a perfect record, while Al Ettifaq remain on 6 points in second place temporarily.
The result underlined Al Nassr’s ability to overcome difficult circumstances, as they turned a two-goal deficit and a numerical disadvantage into a valuable victory, maintaining their perfect start to the new season.