Once again, Al-Nassr failed to win the trophy. Even though it was only the Saudi Super Cup, Al-Nassr still came close to winning it. However, they were defeated because Al-Ahli fought hard and continued to score goals in regulation time, leaving the score level at the end of regulation and extra time. The match went to a penalty shootout.
I didn't watch the match from the beginning. But in the second half, I saw both teams play equally well. Al-Nassr had more chances, but some were not capitalized on. Al-Nassr's defense was also quite weak, although not as weak as last season.
Al-Nassr lost the penalty shootout, allowing Al-Ahli to win this competition. Congratulations to Al-Ahli.
It's actually not surprising to see Al-Ahli win the final. It's not that I think Al-Ahli are stronger than Al-Nassr, but I think we've noticed since last season that Al-Ahli were like a different team when they reached the final and played in the final.
We remember in the AFC Asian Cup last season, Al-Ahli even beat Al-Hilal in the semifinals. And then in the final, we saw Al-Ahli beat Kawasaki Frontale. Their mentality always seems to be better in competitions other than the SPL itself. In the SPL, we often see Al-Ahli being inconsistent. But in other competitions, Al-Ahli really can't be underestimated. Their strength is difficult to overcome. I'm sad that Al-Nassr failed again. But I think both teams fought well.
But I'm confident that this season, Al-Ahli will truly dominate the Saudi Pro League. I think their style of play is truly extraordinary. They remind me of the mentality of Real Madrid players in the past, never giving up until the final seconds of the match. In that match, Al-Ahli also managed to equalize in the final minutes thanks to their unyielding fight until the very end.
And what's interesting about Al-Ahli is that this transfer window hasn't seen many European star players. They only bought Enzo Millot from VfB Stuttgart. Apart from that, they've only brought in players from other SPL clubs. But their current coach, Matthias Jaissle, has truly made the most of the existing squad. And I think this German coach truly possesses extraordinary coaching talent. He's also still young, at 37 years old. You've probably just realized this, right? There's a young coach behind Al-Ahli's current success, right?
