Al-Qadisiyah 2-1 Abha: Retegui recovers from penalty miss as leaders win

Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Qadisiyah beat bottom side Abha 2-1 at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam on Friday, but the round-nine win was less comfortable than the gulf between the teams suggested. Mateo Retegui missed a fifth-minute penalty before making amends with the opener on 30 minutes, set up by Tijjani Reijnders. Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat added a second from Retegui's pass on 69 minutes, and Alimani Gory's stoppage-time consolation for Abha made for a tense final whistle. This match report covers the key moments, the statistics, Brendan Rodgers' tactical approach and what the result means at both ends of the table.

Al-Qadisiyah vs Abha match report: control, a missed penalty and a late scare

The afternoon began with a golden chance for the hosts. Referee Abdullah Al-Kharbosh awarded Al-Qadisiyah a penalty inside the first five minutes, but Retegui failed to convert, and Abha's deep 5-4-1 block had survived its first test. Two minutes later Julian Weigl was booked for a foul, and the home side had to settle into the patient, possession-heavy game that would define the rest of the match.

Al-Qadisiyah had the ball for 66% of the game and completed 599 of 670 passes, more than double Abha's 272 accurate passes. Rodgers made an early adjustment on 28 minutes, replacing centre-back Ali Badra Diabaté with Yasir Al-Shahrani, and two minutes later the breakthrough arrived: Reijnders picked out Retegui, and the forward made up for his earlier miss with the opening goal.

Abha's frustration showed early in the second half, when Nabil Fekir was booked for dissent on 54 minutes. Coach Burić replaced him five minutes later, along with Khaled Al Shamrani, as the visitors tried to find a way back into the contest. Instead, Al-Qadisiyah doubled their lead on 69 minutes. Retegui turned provider, and wing-back Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat finished to make it 2-0.

The hosts then managed the game, with Rodgers bringing on fresh legs as Turki Al-Ammar, Abdullah Al-Salem, Mohammed Al-Qahtani and Eyad Housa all came on in the final 20 minutes. Abha did not give up: two of their substitutes combined for a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Safwan Al Johani setting up Alimani Gory. It came too late to rescue a point, but it denied Al-Qadisiyah a clean sheet.

Key moments timeline

• 5' – Penalty missed by Al-Qadisiyah's Mateo Retegui.
• 7' – Yellow card, Al-Qadisiyah: Julian Weigl (foul).
• 28' – Al-Qadisiyah substitution: Yasir Al-Shahrani on for Ali Badra Diabaté.
• 30' – GOAL, Al-Qadisiyah: Mateo Retegui, assisted by Tijjani Reijnders (1-0).
• 54' – Yellow card, Abha: Nabil Fekir (dissent).
• 59' – Abha double change: Safwan Al Johani and Nasser Al Daajani replace Khaled Al Shamrani and Fekir.
• 69' – GOAL, Al-Qadisiyah: Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat, assisted by Retegui (2-0).
• 70' – Al-Qadisiyah double change: Turki Al-Ammar and Abdullah Al-Salem replace Christopher Bonsu Baah and Musab Al-Juwayr.
• 76' – Abha substitution: Alimani Gory on for Georges-Kévin N'Koudou.
• 77' – Abha substitution: Amar Al-Yuhaybi on for Mohammed Al-Dosari.
• 82' – Abha substitution: Bader Al Mutairi on for Firas Al-Ghamdi.
• 84' – Al-Qadisiyah substitution: Mohammed Al-Qahtani on for Retegui.
• 85' – Al-Qadisiyah substitution: Eyad Housa on for Nahitan Nández.
• 86' – Yellow card, Al-Qadisiyah: Turki Al-Ammar (foul).
• 90+5' – GOAL, Abha: Alimani Gory, assisted by Safwan Al Johani (2-1).

Match statistics: total control, limited penetration

The numbers paint a clear picture of dominance without a flood of chances. Al-Qadisiyah generated 1.73 expected goals from just eight shots, seven of them inside the box, and that figure includes the missed penalty. Abha's 0.34 xG reflects how rarely they got near Koen Casteels, whose only real test of the afternoon was the stoppage-time goal: the Belgian goalkeeper did not need to make a single save. Abha's own goalkeeper, Al Bouq, made two stops to keep the scoreline respectable.

Tactical analysis: Rodgers' 3-5-2 against Abha's 5-4-1 low block

Rodgers set Al-Qadisiyah up in a 3-5-2. Casteels started behind a back three of Jehad Abdullatif, Álvarez and Ali Badra Diabaté, with Abu Al-Shamat and Christopher Bonsu Baah providing the width as wing-backs. Weigl anchored a midfield that also featured Nahitan Nández and Reijnders, while Retegui partnered Musab Al-Juwayr in attack. The structure allowed the hosts to circulate the ball patiently and commit the wing-backs high, and it was no coincidence that the second goal was scored by one of them.

Abha, under Burić, chose damage limitation. A 5-4-1 with Michy Batshuayi as the lone striker and Fekir and N'Koudou in the midfield line was designed to deny space between the lines and strike on the counter. For long periods the plan worked in the sense that Al-Qadisiyah managed only four shots on target, but the visitors lacked the possession to build any sustained pressure of their own until the very end.

Retegui: redemption after the early miss

Retegui's afternoon summed up the hosts' performance. A missed penalty might have unsettled a less experienced forward, yet the Italian international scored the opener and created the second before being replaced on 84 minutes. With a goal and an assist, he was directly involved in both of his side's goals.

Saudi Pro League table: Al-Qadisiyah stretch their lead, Abha stay rooted

According to the standings in our data at the start of the matchday, Al-Qadisiyah were top of the Saudi Pro League with 22 points from nine matches (seven wins, one draw, one defeat; 23 goals scored, nine conceded), one point ahead of Al-Hilal, who had played a game fewer. Friday's win takes Al-Qadisiyah to 25 points from ten games, with a goal difference of plus 15.

At the other end, Abha started the day 18th and last with just two points from eight games, without a win, and in the relegation zone. Defeat leaves them on two points from nine matches, still searching for a first league victory of the season, with 17 goals conceded and a goal difference of minus ten. Gory's late goal at least gave the visitors something to build on.

Head-to-head context

Our data bundle for this fixture did not include a head-to-head record between the two clubs, so the more meaningful comparison is this season's form. Al-Qadisiyah arrived with the best record in the league at the time; Abha arrived with the worst. That contrast is what made the late goal and the tight final scoreline notable: even on a day when the leaders dominated the ball, they could not put the bottom side away comfortably.

What's next for Al-Qadisiyah and Abha

For Al-Qadisiyah, the priority is converting their dominance into more goals, as the missed penalty and the two saves made by Abha's goalkeeper show there was room for more ruthlessness. For Abha, the search for a first win continues, and the defensive organisation on show in Dammam will need to be matched by more attacking ambition. Follow every upcoming Roshn Saudi League game on our fixtures page and on live scores.