Al-Ula Seise Up for First Division Opener
Al-Ula opened their First Division campaign with a 3-1 victory over Al-Jaba'in on Saturday in Jeddah. The home side took control early through Michael and survived a comeback attempt before sealing the result late on.
Michael gave Al-Ula the lead at the ten-minute mark, capitalising on a defensive error. Al-Jaba'in responded through Y. Barbet at thirty-three minutes to level matters, but R. Quioto restored the advantage just after the interval. M. Khalifah added a third in stoppage time to put the result beyond doubt.
Al-Ula made a series of changes throughout the match, bringing on R. Akanbi at the restart and then rotating several players in the second half. Quioto himself was substituted at seventy minutes, replaced by S. Sow. The away side made no recorded changes during the contest.
The statistics told their own story. Al-Ula held sixty per cent possession and registered seven shots on target compared to two for their opponents. They also had four shots off target, while Al-Jaba'in managed only two. The home side created more chances but were efficient with them.
The result leaves Al-Ula second in the table with two wins from two games and six points. Al-Jaba'in remain eighth with one win, one draw and one defeat for four points. The visitors will need to find greater consistency if they are to climb away from the bottom half.
Al-Ula's form has been mixed in recent months, with defeats to Crystal Palace and Como in July. However, a 3-0 win over Al-Fateh on their last outing suggested they are building momentum. This victory will have been welcomed by the home supporters.
Al-Jaba'in have shown flashes of promise, including a 1-0 win over Al-Ettifaq in their most recent match. But consistency remains an issue, and dropping points in this fixture will have been painful. They return to action soon and will need to improve defensively.