RIYADH: In a battle between two sides in search of their first victory in the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League season, 10-man Al-Shabab overcame a Vuk Rasovic-led Al-Taawoun at the SHG Arena in Riyadh 3-0 to move to seven points — four clear of the relegation zone.
Al-Shabab came into the game without key players — Thomas Partey and Gulf Cup Best Player of the Tournament Hammam Al-Hammami were both sidelined through injury. Al-Hammami was honored by the Al-Shabab board ahead of the game for his Gulf Cup performances and spent the evening cheering his side from the stands.
Al-Taawoun — who parted ways with Zarko Lazetic after their heavy defeat to Al-Hilal before the international break — were in the hands of experienced SPL head coach Rasovic. Fortunes, however, did not improve for the Qassim side on the night.
He may not have been credited with an assist in the first half, but it would be remiss not to highlight Carrasco’s impact on both goals.
For Al-Shabab’s opener in the 18th minute, Carrasco spotted right winger Abdullah Matouq driving toward the box and delivered a defense-splitting pass, as Matouq slipped in behind Al-Taawoun defender Muteb Al-Mufarrij and beat left-back Marin Petkov to backheel the ball into the net.
Before Al-Shabab’s second, however, Ali Al-Bulayhi was shown red after a lengthy VAR review in the 33rd minute. Yacine Adli drove back toward him, with Al-Taawoun winger Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi winning possession before being brought down as the last man by Al-Bulayhi.
Al-Shabab head coach Thomas Letsch responded by withdrawing striker Roger Martinez and introducing Mamadou Barry to shore up the defense, with Ricardo Mathias operating as the lone striker in a 4-4-1.
Carrasco’s quality proved decisive despite being a man down. Capitalizing on a loose ball in midfield, Josh Brownhill played a long ball toward the Belgian on the left flank into acres of space. Carrasco drove toward goal and shot at goalkeeper Mailson, whose parry fell to Mathias to finish.
The second half brought little change, as Al-Shabab were happy to cede possession while sitting deep to protect their lead.
In the 70th minute, a scuffle broke out after Al-Taawoun’s Rakan Al-Tulayhi clashed with Brownhill over a loose ball. Order was restored shortly after — and Carrasco finally got on the scoresheet in the 85th minute.
Following a poor clearance from the Al-Taawoun defense, Adli pounced to win possession and release Mathias, who found Carrasco in space to curl a shot toward goal — the ball bouncing off the post before going in.
Al-Taawoun, who finished a respectable sixth last season, remain winless and rooted to the relegation zone after the defeat.
With just three points in eight fixtures following the departure of club icon Pericles Chamusca at the end of last season, Al-Taawoun are in desperate need of a turnaround. Meanwhile, Al-Shabab can now look forward to building on their first win of the season.
Elsewhere, Al-Fayha and Al-Riyadh played out a 1-1 draw after Trezeguet scored a late equalizer for Al-Riyadh on his return from injury, cancelling out Lazaro’s 16th-minute opener.
The third match of the night between Abha and Al-Faisaly was postponed to Oct. 27 following a review of circumstances surrounding the game by the SPL.
Matchday Nine of the SPL gets underway on Thursday, with the weekend’s headline fixture — Al-Ahli against Al-Nassr — taking place at 9 p.m.