Al-Ettifaq lead Al-Nassr after red card leaves young goalkeeper exposed

Al-Ettifaq took a two-goal lead against Al-Nassr before half-time after goalkeeper Bento was sent off, leaving the visitors to rely on inexperienced replacement Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi in their Roshn Saudi League meeting on Tuesday.

Al-Nassr’s task became significantly more difficult in the 12th minute, when Bento was shown a straight red card for bringing down Moussa Dembele outside the penalty area.

The dismissal forced Al-Nassr to reorganise and bring on their young goalkeeper, Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi. With the visitors unsettled, Al-Ettifaq quickly identified the replacement goalkeeper as an area to target.

The home side began testing Al-Otaibi with efforts from a variety of distances and angles. The pressure was designed to exploit his lack of experience, as well as the uncertainty created by Bento’s early departure.

Al-Ettifaq opened the scoring in the 31st minute through their Slovakia international Duda. The midfielder took advantage of a lapse in Al-Nassr’s pressure before sending a shot towards goal. Although the effort appeared to lack power, it slipped through Al-Otaibi’s hands and found the net.

The goal increased the pressure on Al-Nassr, who were already playing with 10 men. Their difficulties continued into first-half injury time, when Al-Ettifaq doubled their advantage through Alvaro Medran.

Medran struck in the third minute of added time after Al-Ettifaq capitalised on the confusion in the Al-Nassr defence following Bento’s dismissal. The ball travelled beyond Al-Otaibi and into the net, leaving Al-Nassr’s players and supporters visibly frustrated.

The second goal underlined the challenge facing Al-Nassr after losing their first-choice goalkeeper. Al-Ettifaq continued to shoot whenever the opportunity arose, putting Al-Otaibi under sustained pressure and testing his ability to deal with the situation.

The goal was featured in a video clip accompanied by commentary from “Thamanya” commentator Jaafar Al-Saleh.

Al-Nassr had been forced to cope with Bento’s absence for most of the match, and the red card shaped the contest well before the interval. His challenge on Dembele outside the penalty area not only reduced Al-Nassr to 10 players but also meant Al-Otaibi was placed in goal during a period of intense pressure.

Al-Ettifaq then made the most of that advantage. Duda’s opener came after Al-Nassr failed to close him down effectively, while Medran’s late first-half finish extended the lead and deepened the visitors’ problems.

The match is being played as part of the third round of the Roshn Saudi League.