Ondrej Duda gives Al Ettifaq lead after Al Nassr are reduced to 10 men

Al Ettifaq took advantage of Al Nassr’s early numerical disadvantage to move ahead in their Roshn Saudi League meeting on Tuesday, with Slovakia midfielder Ondrej Duda scoring after a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi.

Duda put the home side in front in the 31st minute, receiving the ball on the edge of the Al Nassr penalty area. The visitors failed to apply enough pressure, allowing the Al Ettifaq player time and space to control the situation before directing a shot towards goal.

The effort appeared to lack power, but Al-Nassr’s young replacement goalkeeper Al-Otaibi was unable to deal with it properly. The ball went through his hands and continued into the net, giving Al Ettifaq a valuable lead in the third-round fixture.

The goal added to Al Nassr’s frustration after they had been forced to play with 10 men from the 12th minute.

Their goalkeeper Bento was shown a straight red card after bringing down Moussa Dembele outside the penalty area. The Al Ettifaq striker had been moving towards goal when Bento committed the foul, leaving the referee with the decision to dismiss him.

Al Nassr responded by replacing Bento with Al-Otaibi, but the change left them a player short for the remainder of the match. Duda then made the numerical advantage count, although the goal also involved a costly handling error from the substitute goalkeeper.

The sequence left Al Ettifaq in control of the contest: first, Bento’s dismissal created the numerical advantage, and less than 20 minutes later Duda converted that pressure into the opening goal.

Duda’s strike came after Al Nassr had failed to close him down near the area. With no defender applying sufficient pressure, he was able to find room to shoot. The attempt did not appear especially threatening, but Al-Otaibi’s failure to hold the ball allowed it to cross the line.

Al Ettifaq’s goal therefore doubled the damage caused by Al Nassr’s difficult start. The visitors had already lost their first-choice goalkeeper and were operating with 10 players before conceding, leaving them facing a significant challenge in the remainder of the game.

For Al Ettifaq, Duda’s finish provided an early reward for exploiting both their extra player and the space available around the edge of the penalty area. For Al Nassr, the dismissal and subsequent goal placed them under immediate pressure in the third round of the Roshn Saudi League.