Al-Nahda complete second-half turnaround to defeat Al-Shabab 3:2 in the Professional League
Al-Nahda produced a stirring response to come from behind and beat Al-Shabab 3:2 in Regular Season round 2 on Friday evening. The visitors took the lead after M. Al Ghafri had opened the scoring in the third minute and doubled it just ten minutes later, but Al-Shabab were caught out as Al-Nahda struck three times in the final twenty minutes. By then the match had turned on its head, and the result leaves the visitors top of the table with six points from two games while Al-Shabab remain in seventh with three.
Al Ghafri was the early difference-maker, finding the net twice in the first half to give his side a comfortable cushion. The first came after just three minutes, catching Al-Shabab cold, and the second followed at the thirteen-minute mark before much had been settled. To be fair, those early goals made Al-Nahda's task considerably harder, but they refused to go away and began to press for a return.
The momentum shifted decisively after the hour when P. Doesburg pulled one back for the visitors in the seventy-second minute. Two minutes later A. Al Harthi equalised, and then Muqbali A completed the turnaround in the eighty-fifth minute. And here's the thing — Al-Shabab had nothing to do all evening after that point, their structure crumbling as the visitors pinned them back.
The drama was not over when a red card was shown in the ninety-fifth minute, leaving Al-Shabab with ten men for the closing stages. The dismissal came after the match had already been decided, but it added to the sense that wheels had come off for the hosts at the worst possible moment. Al-Nahda saw out the remainder without further incident, securing all three points away from home.
Statistics tell the story of a match where Al-Nahda dominated territory and created more clear-cut opportunities. They held 57 per cent possession compared to Al-Shabab's 43 per cent and registered six shots on target to four, while also recording 133 attacks against 109. Both sides registered four shots on target each, but Al-Nahda's accuracy of 55 per cent versus 50 per cent for the hosts shows where the chances went.
The result moves Al-Nahda into fourth place with six points from two games, while Al-Shabab remain in seventh with three points after one win and one defeat. The visitors have now won both their matches this season, while Al-Shabab's earlier 1:1 draw with Al-Nahda in August was followed by a 3:2 victory over Sur before this setback. The gap between them in the table now stands at three points, and the momentum sits firmly with the visitors.