Al-Ettifaq's first football team achieved an important moral victory over their counterpart Damac with two goals to nil, in the friendly match that brought the two teams together on Friday evening, as part of the preparations of both sides to resume the Saudi Professional League competitions after the current break.
The match saw Al-Ettifaq enjoy relative control, with Dutch star Georginio Wijnaldum opening the scoring in the 26th minute, reflecting his team's dominance in the first half. In the second half, Al-Ettifaq continued their attacking approach, with Ahmed Koka adding a second goal in the 56th minute, confirming the team's readiness for the next stage.
Al-Ettifaq's lineup and technical changes
The Al-Ettifaq manager fielded a starting lineup that blended experience and youth, with Marek Rodak in goal, and Abdullah Khatif, Jack Hendry, Abdulbasit Hindi, and Madallah Al-Olayan in defense. The midfield and attack were led by Majed Duran, Ondrej Duda, captain Georginio Wijnaldum, Alvaro Medran, Ahmed Koka, and striker Moussa Dembele.
In the second half, the coaching staff made several substitutions to give the largest number of players a chance and to assess their physical and technical readiness, as Mukhtar Ali, Turki Al-Madani, Ziyad Al-Ghamdi, Khalid Al-Ghannam and Abdullah Madu participated, replacing Majed Duran, Alvaro Medran, Abdulbasit Hindi, Ahmed Koka and Wijnaldum.
The importance of friendly matches during the international break
This match holds particular importance for both teams during the current international break, a period in which Saudi clubs aim to maintain match fitness and the physical conditioning of their non-international players. This break presents a golden opportunity for coaches to rectify defensive and offensive errors that surfaced in the early rounds of the league and to experiment with new tactical plans away from the pressures of official matches.
The two teams' positions in the standings and future challenges
Al-Ettifaq enters the next stage in sixth place in the Roshan League standings with 14 points. The team, under the guidance of its coaching staff, aspires to climb further up the table and compete for continental qualification spots. Al-Ettifaq is scheduled to face Al-Riyadh away at 8:30 PM next Thursday in the 11th round of matches.
In contrast, Damac is struggling in the standings, currently sitting in 16th place with only 5 points, placing them in the early danger zone. The southern team aims to use this friendly match to regroup before their crucial encounter against Al-Qadisiyah on Saturday, December 27th, a match that is a must-win for Damac's hopes of avoiding relegation.
