Analysis The numbers behind the result
Al Diriyah's clinical edge overwhelms Al-Ettifaq despite possession deficit
Al Diriyah's 3-0 victory was fully deserved despite Al-Ettifaq's 54% possession, as the visitors outperformed their xG (1.99 vs 1.30) with ruthless finishing. Two first-half strikes by Darwin Núñez (8') and Adil Boulbina (53') — both assisted by Óscar Rodríguez — exploited defensive lapses, while Núñez's late second (81') capped a counter-attacking masterclass despite having 8% less possession.
Though Al-Ettifaq generated more total shots (17 vs 16) and matched Al Diriyah's 6 corners, their higher pass accuracy (90% vs 86%) translated to just 7 on target (vs Al Diriyah's 8). The hosts' 1.20 goals prevented by their goalkeeper underscores how Al Diriyah consistently created higher-quality chances, with Núñez (2 goals, 1.12 xG individually) and Boulbina (1 goal, 0.45 xG) proving decisive. The telling stat: Al Diriyah scored from 37.5% of their shots on target (3/8) compared to Al-Ettifaq's 0% (0/7).