Al-Nasr "defeated" Al-Salmiya at home
Al-Nasr secured a valuable 2-1 victory over Al-Salmiya in their match played yesterday at Thamer Stadium, as part of the first round of the Zen Premier League. Yesterday also saw a decisive win for Al-Shabab, who defeated Al-Jahra 3-2. With this result, Al-Nasr (the Canaries) claimed their first three points, with Algerian midfielder Ayman Larouci scoring in the 54th minute. Larouci received a pass from Ali Hassan and fired the ball into the right corner of the goalkeeper’s net, after it had touched the foot of Fawaz Aaid. Nasser Khader doubled the lead for Al-Nasr in the 80th minute, capitalizing on a rebound from a shot by Eid Al-Raqba that was saved by goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, slotting the ball into the net. Bahraini player Youssef Abdullah then reduced the deficit for Al-Salmiya (the Sky Blues) from a penalty kick in the 93rd minute.
The performance of the two teams varied throughout the two halves. The first half was dull, marred by a lack of concentration from both sides, although Al-Salmiya dominated possession and attempted to build attacks through the movements of Fawaz Aaid and Muath Al-Asim. Consequently, two chances arose, one for Muath Al-Asim and another for Mubarak Al-Finini, who failed to capitalize effectively in front of goal. In response, Al-Nasr sought to close down the midfield area against their opponent’s play and succeeded in this strategy.
In the second half, Al-Nasr imposed their dominance over most of the game’s flow through the effective movements of Ayman Larouci, Mauritanian player Sidi Yacoub, Hashem Najib, and Ali Hassan, combined with intelligent ball distribution to penetrate the depths of Al-Salmiya’s defense. Al-Salmiya struggled significantly after Uzbek player Shahzod Azimdinov was forced off due to injury. Additionally, Tunisian forward Hajj Hazem Hassan caused trouble for Al-Salmiya’s defense. Al-Nasr’s defense, led by Sudanese player Abdulrahman Kokko and Malian Moriba Diarra, deserves much credit for limiting Al-Salmiya’s attempts. Al-Salmiya’s play lacked organization, relying mostly on ineffective individual movements, particularly from Muath Al-Asim, who often circled aimlessly upon receiving the ball.
Worse still, the coach rotated players, bringing in Mehdi Dashti at left-back and then at right-back. Isa Walid was also deployed in his preferred position during the second half. French player David Sambisa, a player with high capabilities who could have made a difference, was kept on the bench, along with Syrian Mahmoud Al-Aswad, who also possesses good technical skills. A clear void appeared in the center of Al-Salmiya’s midfield, as there was no holding midfielder capable of breaking free from pressure. These late efforts eventually resulted in the goal that narrowed the scoreline. Overall, Al-Salmiya needs intensive tactical work despite having good players in their ranks.
In the second match at Al-Shabab’s stadium, the hosts snatched a decisive winning goal against Al-Jahra in the 95th minute through Brazilian player Matheus Tuto. Al-Shabab had previously taken a two-goal lead through Mohammed Al-Qahtani (24th minute) and Tuto from a penalty (56th minute), before Al-Jahra equalized via Abdulrahman Al-Dhafiri from a penalty (64th minute) and Fahd Al-Salama (73rd minute).
