Three crucial points and a remarkable comeback for Al-Riyadh against Al-Ettifaq

Al-Riyadh overturned a two-goal deficit against hosts Al-Ettifaq to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory in an intense and goal-filled encounter at EGO Stadium in Dammam, as part of Matchday 28 of the Saudi Pro League, securing a valuable win in the battle for survival.

Al-Ettifaq started the match strongly, making full use of home advantage and crowd support, and took an early lead through their Dutch captain Georginio Wijnaldum in the 5th minute after a well-worked move finished with a close-range strike, giving his side an early boost.

The hosts continued to apply pressure and doubled their lead in the 33rd minute through Khalid Al-Ghannam, who showcased individual skill inside the penalty area to put Al-Ettifaq in a comfortable position before half-time. However, Al-Riyadh refused to give in and gradually regained their footing, with Portuguese forward Leandro Antunes reducing the deficit in the 38th minute after capitalizing on a defensive error, bringing his team back into the contest before the break.

At the start of the second half, Al-Riyadh maintained their attacking momentum, and Antunes struck again in the 54th minute, converting a well-delivered cross to level the score. As the match appeared to be heading towards a draw, Senegalese forward Mamadou Sylla snatched a dramatic late winner in the third minute of stoppage time, finishing off a swift counter-attack to secure three vital points. The victory lifted Al-Riyadh to 23 points in 16th place, keeping their hopes alive of moving away from the relegation zone, while Al-Ettifaq remained on 42 points in seventh, suffering a painful defeat after leading by two goals.

In another match from the same round, Damac held Al-Qadsiah to a 1-1 draw at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Abha.

Al-Qadsiah took the lead through Uruguay’s Nahitan Nández in the 35th minute, before Argentine Valentín Vada equalised just two minutes later.

With this result, Damac moved to 23 points in 15th place, maintaining their hopes of survival in the top flight, while Al-Qadsiah remained fourth with 61 points, continuing their push to finish in the top four and secure an Asian competition spot.