Al-Ettifaq claimed a 1-0 victory over Al-Fateh at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Sport City on Friday evening. The result came in the second match of the Pro-League regular season, with the visiting side taking all three points after a hard-fought contest. The win moves Al-Ettifaq up to ninth place with six points from four games, while Al-Fateh remain rooted at the bottom with just two points.
The decisive moment arrived in the 78th minute when J. Hendry found the net to break the deadlock. Before that, both sides had created chances but failed to find the back of the net. Al-Ettifaq created two big chances overall, while Al-Fateh managed the same number — yet only one was converted throughout the evening.
And here's the thing about the statistics: Al-Ettifaq dominated possession at 55 per cent and registered 91 attacks compared to their hosts' 62. They won 27 crosses against 15 and earned 11 corners to six. Yet their shooting accuracy sat at a modest 21 per cent, with only three shots hitting the target from 11 attempts. Al-Fateh, by contrast, were more precise — four shots on target from ten attempts, giving them a 36 per cent accuracy rate.
To be fair, the match was decided by moments rather than sustained pressure. The hosts made more clearances — 25 to 20 — suggesting they spent more time defending their area. Al-Ettifaq's expected goals figure of 1.94 tells a different story from the final score, hinting that their dominance did not translate into the reward it deserved.
Substitutions came thick and fast in the second half, with Al-Fateh making five changes between the 86th and 90th minutes alone. Al-Ettifaq brought on R. Messi in the 71st minute and A. Al Suwailem and L. Haraslin shortly after the goal, looking to manage the lead rather than extend it.
The result does little to change the landscape of the table immediately — Al-Fateh sit 16th with four games played and two points, while Al-Ettifaq hold ninth with six points. What it does show is that the visitors have the deeper squad, and that quality can make a difference when matches are finely balanced.