Match Centre

Al-Ittihad's 2-1 victory marginally reflected the balance of play, with their 21 total shots (7 on target) eclipsing Al-Fayha's 15 attempts (4 on target). The home side's 13 shots inside the box to Al-Fayha's 7 underscored their greater threat in dangerous areas, despite only holding 51% possession. George Ilenikhena's 43rd-minute opener and Youssef En-Nesyri's 68th-minute penalty proved decisive after Jason Remeseiro's stoppage-time equaliser just before half-time.

Tactically, Al-Ittihad turned their slim possession edge into higher-quality chances, registering 4 corners to Al-Fayha's 2 while blocking 5 opposition shots. The penalty decision against Mohammed Al-Baqawi in the 66th minute proved pivotal, with En-Nesyri converting the resulting spot-kick. Al-Fayha's equaliser came against the run of play via Bamasud's assist to Remeseiro, but they created just 0.3 xG from open play. The xG delta of +0.7 in Al-Ittihad's favour tells the decisive story: superior chance creation won this despite near-identical possession shares.