Al-Qadsiah hand Al-Ittihad second consecutive defeat as Al-Hilal extend lead at SPL summit

DAMMAM: Al-Qadsiah defeated Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League Matchday 17’s headline fixture, as Julián Quiñones netted twice to cancel out Karim Benzema’s opener.

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The battle of the tacticians was on full display between Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ittihad. Brendan Rodgers set his side up in a 4-3-2-1 defensively, with Christopher Bonsu Baah, Musab Al-Juwayr and Quiñones given the freedom to drift between the lines.

In possession, the shape transformed. While Baah operated a left-sided central midfielder in the trio, he frequently stretched the pitch down the left as Al-Juwayr, Quiñones and Nahitan Nández threatened Al-Ittihad between the lines.

Meanwhile, Sérgio Conceição set up his side quite differently. Reeling from a home defeat to Al-Ettifaq in their previous outing, Al-Ittihad emerged in a 3-4-2-1, with Moussa Diaby and the returning Houssem Aouar operating behind Benzema.