RIYADH: Few could have been blamed for having concerns ahead of Al-Nassr's clash at Al-Ettifaq on Matchday 3 of the Saudi Pro League. After all, Al-Nassr have only won twice in Dammam in their last seven meetings — their 2-2 draw last season marking the first time they dropped points that campaign, sparking a worrying run of form before their eventual revival and title-winning charge.
It has also been seven years since Arthur Papas won the J-League title as Ange Postecoglou's assistant at Yokohama F. Marinos — and in the first-ever all-Australian managerial encounter in SPL history, the student was on the verge of toppling the teacher in a thrilling match not without its drama.
A Bento red card in the 12th minute ended any hope that Al-Nassr would dominate the game. Following a strange handball from Salem Al-Najdi in Al-Nassr's half, Al-Ettifaq winger Rayane Messi quickly played the free-kick to Mousa Dembele, who was through on goal. Bento caught him outside the box, leading referee Mohammed Al-Hoish to brandish a red card.
In a surprising call from Postecoglou, midfield stalwart Angelo was taken off and third-choice goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi was brought on. Al-Otaibi — now second in the pecking order with the anticipated departure of previous backup Nawaf Al-Aqidi — had a night to forget in goal.
That is not to say Papas' side did not have Al-Nassr's number even in the first 11 minutes. The midfield of Yasir Al-Shammari, Ondrej Duda and Alvaro Medran cut through the heart of the pitch even before the red card, but fully imposed their dominance after the dismissal.
Al-Otaibi — who had never played a league minute before this fixture — was tested from range, with Al-Ettifaq attempting more than 10 shots from outside the box throughout the 90 minutes.
Duda's long-range effort in the 31st minute found the net. The Slovakian won possession in Al-Nassr's half before unleashing a low shot from range, with Al-Otaibi's weak parry lifting the ball up and into the net.
A series of unsuccessful long-range efforts followed before Medran's strike rippled the net, leaving Al-Otaibi with no chance. With the goal coming on the stroke of half-time, Al-Ettifaq went into the break comfortably ahead.
This prompted Postecoglou to withdraw Cristiano Ronaldo after a difficult first half for the captain. This was Ronaldo's first start of the season, but he did not inch closer to the 1,000-goal mark, managing just two shots on the night.
Al-Nassr gradually grew into the game in the second half, especially when the ball almost crept into the net after a scramble in the box in the 52nd minute. With momentum building, Al-Nassr pushed forward — a move down the right produced a low cross from Nawaf Boushal to Sadio Mane, who appeared to have pulled one back before the goal was ruled out for offside.
As time ticked down, it appeared Al-Nassr would leave without a point. That was until Joao Felix took matters into his own hands.
In the 74th minute, he threaded an accurate pass to Mane in behind the Al-Ettifaq defense — thankfully for Al-Nassr, the Senegalese forward was not offside as he finished past Al-Ettifaq goalkeeper Turki Baljawsh to make it 2-1.
Building on that momentum, Al-Nassr leveled just three minutes later. Felix created again — this time from a corner that Abdulelah Al-Amri headed home to send the away end into raptures.
While Al-Ettifaq remained dangerous on the counter, the momentum had swung completely in Al-Nassr's favor.
And that momentum finally paid off in the 90th minute, when Mane was found on the shoulder of the Al-Ettifaq defense by substitute Sami Al-Najei to score his second and complete a stunning Al-Nassr comeback for the 3-2 victory.
Elsewhere, three matches took place on Matchday 3. In the Kingdom's south, Abha secured their first point of the season after holding Al-Khaleej to a 1-1 draw, while Al-Taawoun played out a goalless draw with Al-Fayha.
Finally, despite the presence of former Al-Taawoun striker Roger Martinez and Thomas Partey, Al-Shabab failed to beat 10-man Al-Riyadh at the SHG Stadium.
Trezeguet opened the scoring for the visitors in the 32nd minute before Josh Brownhill equalized four minutes later. Five minutes after that, Leandro Antunes gave Al-Riyadh the lead before Yannick Carrasco's crisp finish five minutes later made it 2-2. Al-Riyadh appeared to have sealed the points in the 57th minute when Teddy Okou added a third, only for Carrasco's stunning free-kick to make it 3-3 in the 81st minute.
SPL action returns on Wednesday, with Al-Faisaly hosting Al-Fateh at 7 p.m. before Al-Diriyah face Al-Kholood at 9 p.m.
