BY OUR MAN IN RIYADH
The glitz and glamour of the Saudi Pro League were on full display last night as Al Qadsiah’s galaxy of stars turned the Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium into their own personal playground, dismantling Al Riyadh 4-0.
If there were any doubts about whether the heavy investment in European and South American pedigree would pay off, they were silenced within seven minutes. Abdullah Al-Salem opened the floodgates early, latching onto a pinpoint delivery from the electric Christopher Bonsu Baah to leave the home side reeling.
While the attackers grabbed the headlines, it was the legendary Nacho who provided the foundation. The former Real Madrid captain, a man with five Champions League medals in his locker, looked like he was playing a different sport. He marshalled a backline that barely broke a sweat, ensuring Al Riyadh’s Mamadou Sylla remained a frustrated spectator for much of the evening.
Despite Al Riyadh’s attempts to park the bus in the second half, the quality of the visitors eventually told. Abdullah Al-Salem doubled his tally in the 77th minute, this time expertly fed by the creative spark Gabriel Carvalho.
But the finale belonged to Mexican sensation Julián Quiñones. The Al Qadsiah talisman showed exactly why he is one of the most feared names in the desert, striking twice in the dying embers of the match (86’ and 90’). His second goal—a clinical finish following more fine work from Bonsu Baah—put the exclamation point on a performance that sent a clear message to the rest of the league.
Al Riyadh looked completely out of ideas, unable to bypass the midfield dominance of Nahitan Nández and the steady hands of Belgian stopper Koen Casteels, who kept a clean sheet despite a late yellow card for a rare moment of gamesmanship.
Under the bright lights of Riyadh, Al Qadsiah didn’t just win a football match; they put on a masterclass. With Nacho holding the fort and Quiñones firing on all cylinders, Brendan Rodgers’ side (or the Qadsiah hierarchy) look like a freight train that isn’t stopping anytime soon.
Al Riyadh 0
Al Qadsiah 4 (Al-Salem 7’, 77’, Quiñones 86’, 90’)
Did the dominance of Nacho at the back surprise you more than the clinical finishing of the front two?
