Sadio Mané inspires Al Nassr’s dramatic comeback against Al Ettifaq

Sadio Mané scores against Al Ettifaq.

RIYADH, Aug 26: Al Nassr staged a remarkable late comeback to beat Al Ettifaq 3-2 in the third round of the Saudi Pro League, despite playing with 10 men for most of the match.

Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento was sent off after just 12 minutes, forcing young goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi to come on. Duda put Al Ettifaq ahead in the 31st minute after Al-Otaibi failed to keep out the shot.

The visitors doubled their lead before halftime when Alvaro Medran’s effort again proved too difficult for the young goalkeeper to handle.

Al Nassr coach Tony Popovic made a change at the start of the second half, replacing captain Cristiano Ronaldo with Abdullah Al-Khaibari. The move helped spark a dramatic turnaround.

Sadio Mané pulled one back in the 74th minute, and Abdullah Al-Amri equalized three minutes later. Mané then completed the comeback in the first minute of stoppage time, scoring his second of the night to seal a 3-2 victory.

The result moved Al Nassr to the top of the Roshn Saudi Pro League with nine points.

Elsewhere, Al Shabab defeated Al Riyadh 3-0, while Al Taawoun and Al Fayha played out a goalless draw. Abha and Al Khaleej drew 1-1.

Portuguese newspaper A Bola also praised Al Nassr’s Joao Felix, highlighting his two assists in the comeback victory. The newspaper said the Portuguese midfielder’s “magic” helped ignite Al Nassr’s recovery after a disastrous first half.