Ten-man Al Nassr move within two comebacks of Al Hilal record

Al Nassr moved to within two comeback victories of Al Hilal’s Saudi Pro League record after recovering from 2-0 down to beat Al Ettifaq 3-2 in a remarkable match in Dammam.

The result was Al Nassr’s fifth win in the history of the Saudi Pro League after falling two goals behind, according to Opta. That lifted them level with Al Ahli and Al Ettifaq, who have also produced five such victories in the competition.

Only Al Hilal have overturned a two-goal deficit more often. They have completed that type of comeback in seven Saudi Pro League matches, leaving Al Nassr with the opportunity to draw level if they can repeat the feat twice more.

Al Nassr’s latest recovery was made particularly difficult by the circumstances in which they found themselves. Goalkeeper Bento was sent off in the 12th minute, leaving the side with 10 players for almost the entire match.

Despite the early dismissal, Al Ettifaq took control of the contest and Al Nassr reached half-time 2-0 behind. The margin and the numerical disadvantage appeared to place the visitors in an extremely difficult position, but the match followed a pattern that had already become familiar to them.

Opta noted that Al Nassr had not lost any of the previous five Saudi Pro League matches since the 2009-10 season in which they had gone into the interval two or more goals behind. All five of those earlier matches ended in draws.

The most recent example before this game had also come against Al Ettifaq. That meeting, in March 2022, finished 2-2.

This time, however, Al Nassr went beyond avoiding defeat. They scored three times after the break to transform a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory, completing one of the most striking recoveries in their Saudi Pro League history.

Sadio Mane was the central figure in the turnaround, scoring twice in the second half. Abdullah Al-Amri added the other goal as Al Nassr secured all three points despite spending most of the game with a player fewer than their opponents.

The victory therefore carried significance beyond the scoreline. It gave Al Nassr their fifth two-goal comeback win in the competition and kept them close to Al Hilal in a distinctive statistical race.

Their previous record in matches where they had trailed by at least two goals at half-time had been one of resilience without victory: five matches, five draws. Against Al Ettifaq in Dammam, they finally turned that resistance into a win, producing a 3-2 result after being 2-0 down and reduced to 10 men.