Dammam, Saudi Arabia, 26 August (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A remarkable Al Nassr comeback saw the Saudi Pro League champions recover from two goals down to beat Al Ettifaq 3-2 despite playing most of the match with 10 men. Sadio Mané scored twice, including the late winner.
Early red card changes the contest
Al Nassr suffered a major setback after just 12 minutes when goalkeeper Bento was shown a straight red card after bringing down Moussa Dembélé outside the penalty area.
The dismissal forced manager Ange Postecoglou into an early change, with Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi replacing Ângelo as Al Nassr reorganised with 10 players.
Al Ettifaq took advantage in the 31st minute when Ondrej Duda opened the scoring. Álvaro Medrán then doubled the hosts’ lead in first-half stoppage time, leaving Al Nassr 2-0 behind at the break.
Half-time change shifts the momentum
Cristiano Ronaldo was replaced by Abdullah Al-Khaibari at half-time as Postecoglou reshaped his side for the second period.
Al Nassr remained two goals behind until the 74th minute, when João Félix supplied Mané for the visitors’ first goal.
Only three minutes later, Félix provided again as Abdulelah Al-Amri converted to level the match at 2-2.
Mané completes an unlikely turnaround
The Al Nassr comeback was completed in the closing stages.
Sami Al-Najei launched a counter-attack and found Mané, who scored his second of the night to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory.
Al Nassr had scored three times in the closing stages despite their numerical disadvantage, while Al Ettifaq were unable to protect the two-goal lead they had established before half-time.
Postecoglou praises fighting response
Postecoglou praised his players after the match, saying they had made a decision to “fight” despite the difficult circumstances. The Al Nassr manager described their second-half response as “outstanding”.
The result preserved Al Nassr’s perfect start to the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season, with the champions taking nine points from their opening three matches.
Perfect league start survives major test
The victory provides an early test of Al Nassr’s ability to recover from setbacks as they defend their Saudi Pro League title.
Playing with 10 men for most of the contest and trailing by two goals made the result particularly significant, while Mané’s late brace ultimately decided the match.
The Al Nassr comeback keeps Postecoglou’s side at the top of the early standings with their 100 per cent record intact.
