DAMMAM: For a moment, it appeared that Al-Faisaly were on the verge of completing an unlikely comeback in Al-Majma’ah. With DR Congo international Theo Bongonda reducing Al-Nassr’s lead to just one goal within five minutes of coming on in the 61st minute, Giovanni Solinas’ side raised the tempo in search of an equalizer but were ultimately undone by Al-Nassr’s superior quality.
Al-Faisaly have only won once this season, but they did not play like a team mired in an early relegation fight.
After Abdullah Al-Hamdan opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a low curler from outside the box, Al-Nassr suddenly toned down their usual high-pressing system and allowed Al-Faisaly to keep more of the ball.
Solinas set his side up in a wide 5-4-1 that saw wing-backs Mohammad Al-Shanqiti and Yaseen Barnawi stretch the pitch against Al-Nassr’s narrow back four, allowing the Sudair side to push their opponents to the limit.
One form of attack they enjoyed was winning the second ball in midfield before releasing one of the forwards in behind Al-Nassr’s defense. However, mere millimeters caught them offside on more than one occasion.
Al-Nassr seemed to have ended Al-Faisaly’s search for an equalizer as early as the 49th minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo headed in his 982nd career goal, followed by what could have been his 983rd minutes later, had it not been ruled out for offside. But Solinas brought in Jaime Seoane and Bongonda, and suddenly the tide would shift.
Al-Shanqiti’s wide position on the left proved fruitful in the 66th minute when his cross from deep found Bongonda for a header past Bento, and Al-Faisaly followed up with more quick bursts in the space behind Al-Nassr’s defense shortly after.
However, quality proved enough for Al-Nassr. Angelo was brought on for Samu Costa shortly after the goal, and it took just 12 minutes for the Brazilian to make his mark, finishing into the far corner with a classy finish from outside the box to seal the game for the defending champions.
With the victory, Al-Nassr move to 25 points in second place, but a multitude of postponed games among the league’s top five means that position is not entirely a true indicator of where anyone stands just yet.