'This is for the fans' - Al Ettifaq avenge derby defeat, dent Al Qadsiah title hunt
'This is for the fans' - Al Ettifaq avenge derby defeat, dent Al Qadsiah title hunt After a dispiriting defeat to Al Qadsiah less than two months ago, Al Ettifaq knew they needed to avenge the loss in the reverse fixture on Sunday night. They did just that, coming through a thrill-a-minute Eastern Derby for the ages, prevailing 3-2 in a clash that not only included five goals, but two red cards and a disallowed injury-time equaliser. Having given up a 4-0 defeat in late February , this time Al Ettifaq galvanised, even rebounding from a goal down at their EGO Stadium in Dammam.
And, as goalscorer Jack Hendry declared afterwards, this victory was for the club’s loyal fanbase. “Yeah, brilliant,” said the Al Ettifaq centre-back when asked about the support on Sunday. “Obviously, we know how much this game means to them.
We wanted to make them proud. We let them down last game and hopefully we made them proud tonight. ” Saad Al Shehri’s side certainly did that.
At first, Al Ettifaq had fallen behind just after the hour, when golden boot-chasing Julian Quinones put Al Qadsiah ahead. However, minutes later, Mohammed Abu Al Shamat was given a straight red for a push on Ondrej Duda, with Hendry drawing the hosts level with a header shortly before half-time. Finally, 74 games into his Roshn Saudi League career, he had a goal.
“It's about time,” the Scotland international smiled. “I've had loads of chances in the league. I should have a lot more goals, but thankfully tonight I got that goal, which has been coming for a long time.