Al-Ettifaq pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Al-Nassr 3-2 in the third round of the Premier League on Friday evening. The visitors, who had been struggling earlier in the season, took all three points with a second-half surge that left the home side stunned. It was a result that flipped expectations on their head, especially given Al-Nassr's dominance in possession and attack.
T. Al Shurouqi opened the scoring for the hosts in the tenth minute, capitalising on early pressure. W. Silva doubled the lead just before the half-hour mark, making it 2-0 and sending the home crowd into raptures. But Jaco pulled one back for Al-Ettifaq two minutes later, injecting life into the away side's chances. By then, the momentum had shifted — Al-Ettifaq began to believe they could claw their way back into the game.
The turning point came in the seventy-first minute when Al-Ettifaq equalised, making it 2-2. The home side, which had controlled 52 per cent of possession and registered 138 attacks, suddenly found themselves under pressure. Al-Ettifaq, despite fewer shots on target in the first half, began to find their rhythm. The away side's five corners compared to Al-Nassr's single corner told a different story — they were creating more structured opportunities.
With the game wide open, Al-Ettifaq struck again in the ninety-third minute to take the lead for the first time. The home side, which had been so dominant earlier, looked shell-shocked. A penalty miss in the eleventh minute of stoppage time offered a glimmer of hope for Al-Nassr, but it came too late. The away end never stopped celebrating as the final whistle blew.
The statistics told an interesting tale. Al-Nassr had more attacks and higher possession, but Al-Ettifaq were more efficient with their chances. Six shots on target compared to Al-Nassr's two — that efficiency made the difference. The away side also earned five corners to the hosts' one, suggesting they created more sustained pressure in the closing stages.
For Al-Nassr, the defeat leaves them in eighth place with three points from two games. They had beaten Al-Maliqiya 1-0 in their opener before suffering a heavy 7-2 loss to Al-Khalidiya. This latest result adds to their headaches. Al-Ettifaq, meanwhile, move to eleventh place with one point from their previous two games — a draw against As-Sitra and a loss to Al-Hidd. This victory marks a significant shift in their fortunes.