DAMMAM: Al-Qadsiah on Friday continued their impressive run under Brendan Rodgers, recording a thrilling victory, their 10th in 13 matches under the Northern Irishman, on matchday 22 of the Saudi Pro League.
Hosts Al-Okhdood started brightly and nearly took the lead inside the opening minute, as Nahitan Nandez fired two shots following a mistake from goalkeeper Samuel Portugal, but Mohanad Al-Qaydhi and Koray Gunter produced successive goal-line clearances to deny him.
Nandez threatened again in the seventh minute after a slick move down the left involving Christopher Bonsu Baah and Musab Al-Juwayr, but Portugal pulled off a smart save. The Brazilian keeper endured a mixed evening as he produced several key saves but a series of costly errors proved decisive.
Julian Quinones thought he had opened the scoring for Al-Qadsiah in the 13th minute after capitalizing on one of those mistakes but the goal was ruled out when Turki Al-Ammar was adjudged to have been offside in the build-up.
Portugal’s struggles continued in the 29th minute when he parried a Quinones shot straight into the path of Mateo Retegui, though the Italian failed to convert from close range.
Five minutes later, Retegui’s header slipped through the keeper’s grasp, hit the crossbar and fell kindly for Quinones, who controlled the ball on his chest before finishing off into an empty net.
Al-Okhdood responded with an equalizer within 10 minutes, when Christian Bassogog met Muath Faqihi’s cross and delivered a low finish.
Al-Qadsiah reasserted control over the game after the break, showing their determination to remain in the title hunt. Just five minutes into the second half, Waleed Al-Ahmed scored his first goal for the club, heading home a well-delivered cross from Nandez. Then, in the 73rd minute, Quinones grabbed his 20th league goal of the season with a composed finish.
Al-Okhdood delivered a late scare when Abdulaziz Al-Hatila struck a long-range effort in the 86th minute that hit the crossbar, bounced down and appeared to cross the line. Goal-line technology confirmed the goal, making it 3-2.
Any hope the relegation battlers might have had of rescuing a point were quickly dashed as Al-Qadsiah responded just 60 seconds later, when Quinones completed his hat-trick to seal a win that moved them within three points of league leaders Al-Hilal.
Elsewhere, Abdelrazzak Hamedallah and Yannick Carrasco inspired Al-Shabab in Nourredine Ben Zekri’s first match in charge, providing a goal each in a 3-1 away victory over Damac. Saad Balobaid supplied the other goal as the Riyadh side climbed seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Al-Taawoun’s difficult run continued with a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Al-Fayha. The visitors led 2-0 after 52 minutes thanks to goals from Yassine Benzia and Fashion Sakala, before Roger Martinez and Mohammed Al-Dossari struck within five minutes of each other to draw Al-Taawoun level with just over 11 minutes to go.
However, Sakala had the final say in the form of an 89th-minute winner that lifted Al-Fayha into 10th place in the league.
On Saturday, Al-Nassr host Al-Hazem, Al-Khaleej welcome NEOM, and Al-Hilal face Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Clasico. All matches will kick off at 10 p.m. under the league’s Ramadan schedule.
