Al-Hazem secured a 2-1 victory over Abha at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium on Wednesday evening, opening their Pro League campaign with three points. The result puts the visitors in ninth place on eight points while Abha remain rooted to bottom with just one point from five matches.
Al-Hazem struck first through A. Al Dwehe after three minutes, a surprise that set the tone for the evening. and here's the thing, the home side responded quickly with equaliser from A. Al Shamrani on the hour mark, though that was actually the 40th minute. The momentum swung back when M. Al Dawsari restored Al-Hazem's lead in the 63rd minute and things never really shifted after that.
Abha dominated possession at 63 per cent but found themselves unable to convert their advantage. They registered six shots on target alongside four off target, yet their expected goals figure sat at just 0.42. Al-Hazem, by contrast, created three big chances from nowhere and finished with an expected goals tally of 1.22 from merely three shots on target. to be fair, the visitors were far more efficient with what they had.
The match saw five yellow cards distributed across both sides, with Abha's Loreintz Rosier and Firas Al-Ghamdi cautioned in the second half. Managerial changes came in waves, with six substitutions made between the 57th and 90th minutes. Al-Hazem brought on A. Al Dwehe and Sofiane Bendebka's replacement in the closing stages, while Abha shuffled their attacking options.
Abha's struggles continue after a goalless draw with Rizespor and a 1-2 defeat to Sharjah in recent outings. Al-Hazem arrive here having drawn with Al-Najja and suffered narrow losses to Al-Qadsiya and Al-Hilal. by then it was clear this was a fixture where efficiency would trump territory, and the visitors made their count.