Al-Khaleej's first football team managed to escape the trap set by their host, Al-Riyadh, snatching a valuable point after an exciting 1-1 draw in the match that brought the two teams together at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium in the capital, Riyadh, as part of the twenty-second round of the Saudi Professional League competition.
Early dominance and Brazilian tactics by Al-Riyadh Club
The match began with a clear technical advantage for the home side, Al-Riyadh, who imposed their style of play under their new Brazilian coach, Mauricio Dulac. As the first third of the first half progressed, the "Central School" intensified their organized attacks, starting with a skillful touch from Leandro Antunes, who delivered a perfectly weighted through ball to his teammate Tozé after successfully dribbling past the Al-Khabrani defender. However, the Portuguese player's shot went just wide of the post, squandering a clear scoring opportunity.
Riyadh continued their offensive pressure through French winger Teddy Oko, who posed a constant threat and fired a powerful shot despite close marking and defensive pressure from Abdullah Al-Hafiz and Portuguese Pedro Rebocho, which signaled the approach of the home team’s opening goal in light of a relative decline in the Al-Khaleej team.
A scenario of goals and a comeback in the final minutes
Al-Riyadh Club translated its superiority into a goal before the whistle of the end of the first half, specifically in the 45th minute. The goal came after a distinguished individual effort from Teddy Oko, who sent a perfect cross from the right side, bypassing the marking of Rebocho and the Greek Georgios Masouras, so that the Portuguese striker rose to meet it and put it in a precise header into a difficult corner for the Luxembourg goalkeeper Anthony Moris, announcing Al-Riyadh’s lead.
In the second half, Al-Khaleej tried to get back into the game, waiting until the final seven minutes of regulation time to achieve their goal. Fortunis scored a dramatic equalizer, saving his team from defeat, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw, with both sides sharing the points.
The importance of the result and the two teams' positions in the standings
This result is particularly significant in the context of the mid-table and bottom-of-the-table battle in the Saudi Professional League, which has witnessed fierce competition this season to avoid relegation and improve their standings. For Al-Riyadh, this is their seventh draw of the competition, bringing their total to 13 points and keeping them in 16th place – a position that places them in the danger zone and requires a significant improvement in the upcoming rounds to escape the relegation battle.
On the other hand, Al-Khaleej Club raised its points tally to 27, occupying ninth place, after securing its sixth draw of the season. This point is a morale booster for the team, helping them solidify their position in the comfortable mid-table, away from the complex relegation battle, thus providing them with greater stability for the remaining rounds of the Roshan Professional League.
