RIYADH: The Eastern derby ended 1-1 on Saturday as Al-Qadsiah were held by Ettifaq in what was a blow to their chances of a top-three finish, and a place in next season’s AFC Champions League.
Newly promoted Al-Qadsiah took the lead, had the best of the possession, chances and the game in general, but could not get the all-important second goal to kill the contest off, and Wijnaldum ensured that they paid the price in the second half.
Al-Qadsiah remain fourth on the Saudi Pro League table, two points behind Al-Nassr and five behind second-placed Al-Hilal.
Going into the game, the hosts were on a high after booking their first-ever place in the final of the King’s Cup on Wednesday, and all was looking good at the break as they took the lead.
Mohammed Qasem picked up the ball on the left, near the Ettifaq area, and curled a cross into the six-yard box. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tried to get a head on it and did enough to distract goalkeeper Marek Rodak, who could not gather the ball. Instead, it bounced out to Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, who reacted quickly to fire home from close range.
Ettifaq have been in good form, however, since the departure of Steven Gerrard as head coach in late January. Under Saad Al-Shehri, the replacement for the Liverpool legend, the Greens had taken 16 points from their last previous eight games to move up to seventh in the table, though the last match was a defeat against struggling Al-Fayha.
They were always in the game and then, three minutes after the hour, grabbed the equalizer. It came from a similar position on the pitch as Qadsiah’s opener. Vitinho curled a free kick into the area for a number of white shirts to attack the ball and Wijnaldum got there first, heading past goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
It was the 11th league goal of the season for the former Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, an impressive return.
Both teams pushed forward in an attempt to take all three points, but in the end, they had to settle for one each.
