RIYADH: Al-Nassr defeated Al-Hilal 2-0 in the Riyadh derby on Thursday thanks to a first-half goal from Vincent Aboubakar and a late second from Anderson Talisca. Here are five things learned from the Saudi Pro League clash.
1. Aboubakar and Talisca step up
With Moroccan marksman Abderrazak Hamdallah looking to be on his way out, the goalscoring burden had looked to be falling increasingly on the shoulders of Anderson Talisca. The rangy attacking midfielder was certainly lively in the game and probably should have headed Al-Nassr into the lead midway through the first half.
Instead, the impressive Vincent Aboubakar got the all-important opener just before the break to get on the scoresheet for the second successive game. The Cameroonian’s goal showed the value of directness and a determination to attack. He beat two players outside the area and his shot from just inside took a deflection off Muteb Al-Mufarrij and looped over the suddenly stranded Abdullah Al-Mayouf and into the net.
There was still time for Aboubaker to send Talisca free in the dying minutes. There was a huge amount to do as he picked up the ball just inside the Hilal half, but he carried on running, and kept his nerve to steer his shot past the goalkeeper with the minimum of fuss. Both goal scorers impressed and were too much for the defense to handle.
2. Pereira looked unhappy, Al-Hilal looked flat
How quickly things can change in football. Just over three weeks ago, Al-Hilal were lifting a record fourth Asian championship but now they have not won for three games in the league, which may not sound serious, but it is unusual for the reigning SPL champions.
It was a flat all-round performance and the team struggled to move the ball around fluidly and create chances. Starting with three central defenders did not work for Al-Hilal and there was also too big a gap between midfield and attack meaning that it was no surprise that it proved difficult to create clear chances.
Matheus Pereira seemed to sum things up and had one of those days when little seemed to go right. It was his foul that led to what would have been an equalizer had it not been overturned by the video assistant referee. When the Brazilian playmaker was substituted in the second half, Portuguese lip readers would have been able to know for sure what he said to coach Leonardo Jardim. And it did not look complimentary.
3. Al-Nassr play for their new coach
If there were worries that the Yellows were not going to play for their new boss Miguel Angel Russo, there are not any now. Al-Nassr may have lacked some fluidity, and the stop and start nature of the league season does not help in that regard, but there was plenty of effort and determination.
At the back, in the absence of Abdullah Madu, Abdulelah Al-Amri had only started one game since September but was everywhere trying to stop Bafetimbi Gomis from getting a sniff of goal and when he failed, VAR was there. When VAR was not, Waleed Abdullah was and while the goalkeeper may not have done anything spectacular, it was a very tidy performance.
This was a performance of grit and hard work and in an up and down season for Al-Nassr, these qualities offer something solid to build upon. After the game, Rosso said: “This is just the beginning.”
4. An Asian hangover or not, work for Jardim to do
This time, there can be no complaints about the fatigue of players due to Asian or national team commitments. Al-Hilal are, or should have been, well-rested and fit.
It is now becoming slightly concerning that the team have yet to win in the three games since the Asian success and they looked defensively vulnerable and slow in the face of the rapid Al-Nassr attacks.
This is no time to panic but this is the first real time that Jardim has been under pressure since arriving.
Now Monday’s King’s Cup clash against Al-Raed looks to be an important one. Jardim needs the game to get his machine running smoothly again.
At the moment, Al-Hilal are looking slow in defense in the face of speedy counterattacks and a little predictable going forward. It will not last but a couple more results similar to this and the league title will start to move out of sight.
5. A good result for the league
Had Al-Hilal won they would have moved into an ominous position, just two points off the top with games in hand on most of their title rivals. It would also have virtually ended any chance of an Al-Nassr challenge.
Instead, the Blues crashed to their first defeat of the season and the Yellows have a new coach, a new spring in their step, and have moved up to fifth, one place and one point behind their bitter local rivals. It makes things very interesting indeed.
As the league approaches the halfway stage, the fact that only eight points separate the top seven teams is something to be welcomed. It should produce a title race to remember and not one that features the usual suspects.
Al-Nassr may well be back in it and Al-Hilal are not at their best. There will be more twists and turns to come, and it all looks very exciting.
