DAMMAM — Saad Al-Shehri made a winning start as the new head coach of Al Ettifaq, guiding his team to a crucial 3-1 victory over Al Shabab in his first match in charge. The win comes after the departure of English coach Steven Gerrard, who parted ways with the club following Matchweek 17 of the Saudi Pro League. Al Ettifaq breathed a sigh of relief with this victory, marking a strong beginning under their new manager. The team improved its tally to 22 points, while Al Shabab remained at 29 points after the defeat. Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, captain of Al Ettifaq, opened the scoring in the 35th minute, giving his team an early advantage. However, Al Shabab responded swiftly, with Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah leveling the score just five minutes later. The momentum shifted once again before halftime when Portuguese forward João Costa netted a crucial second goal for Al Ettifaq in the 43rd minute. Beyond the goals, the match was filled with intense action and dramatic moments at Al Ettifaq's home ground in Dammam. Al Shabab's Haroune Camara thought he had equalized, but his goal was ruled out after a VAR review. The referee, Sami Al-Jrees, issued a red card to Al Ettifaq's Mukhtar Ali, only to overturn his decision after consulting VAR. Al Shabab was then handed a golden opportunity to get back into the game, but Hamdallah failed to convert a penalty in the 75th minute. With Al Shabab relentlessly pushing for an equalizer, Al Ettifaq capitalized on a stoppage-time counterattack. In the final moments of the match, Wijnaldum struck again, sealing a well-earned 3-1 victory for his team and marking a perfect managerial debut for Saad Al-Shehri.
