Az-Zulfi and Hajjer played out a 0:0 draw in the fourth matchday of the First Division League on Tuesday. The result keeps both sides in the middle of the table, though with different trajectories. Az-Zulfi sit fifth on five points from three games, while Hajjer occupy eleventh place with four points after a win, a draw and a defeat.
And here's the thing about these encounters — the opening half tells you very little. A. Al Hajri picked up a yellow card at the thirty-minute mark, the first real stoppage of any kind. Az-Zulfi controlled possession without creating much, which is familiar ground for them this season. Hajjer stayed compact and refused to be drawn forward.
By then, both managers were already thinking about changes. At fifty-five minutes, Az-Zulfi brought on A. Al Anzy and N. Bouamer in a double substitution. Hajjer responded with K. Al Ibrahim at sixty-one, trying to add something in the final third. The shape of the game barely shifted.
Yellow cards kept coming. H. Al Harbi went off at fifty-nine, A. Al Hurayb followed at sixty-two, and A. A. Al Nakhli at seventy-one. To be fair, the fouls were mostly tactical rather than furious. Az-Zulfi had 109 attacks and only one shot on target. Hajjer managed 89 attacks with the same return.
The late changes came in waves. Both sides made two substitutions at the seventy-fourth minute, then another pair at eighty-eight. Az-Zulfi brought on M. Al Zahrani and R. Al Bloushi, while Hajjer introduced D. Bregu and D. Diallo. At ninety-one, A. Amoah and W. Zaidi also entered the fray, but neither team could find a breakthrough.
Shots off target tell the story. Az-Zulfi fired eleven times without hitting the target, while Hajjer managed eight attempts away from goal. Both sides recorded just one shot on target each. Blocked shots were five for the hosts and four for the visitors. The statistics suggest two teams that kept knocking on the door but could not find the handle.
A point apiece changes nothing in the standings, but it extends Az-Zulfi's unbeaten run to three games. Hajjer remain without a win in their last two fixtures after that victory against Al-Raied. Cup football has its own rules, but this was league football, and both sides will want more from the next round.
