Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong provided the assist for the decisive goal as Al Kholood secured a dramatic late victory over Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.
Jackson Muleka opened the scoring for Al Kholood from the penalty spot in the 25th minute, but Georginio Wijnaldum equalized for the hosts shortly after. Myziane Maolida restored Al Kholood’s lead in the 54th minute, only for Moussa Dembele to snatch a late equalizer for Al-Ettifaq in the 96th minute.
However, in the 10th minute of extra time, Troost-Ekong delivered a perfect long ball, setting up Maolida for his second goal of the night and breaking Al-Ettifaq’s hearts.
This victory, Al Kholood’s third of the season, lifted them to 13th in the league table, one point above the relegation zone after 14 matches.
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Reacting to the win, head coach Noureddine Zekri expressed his delight, acknowledging the challenges posed by injuries to key players. He emphasized the need to strengthen the squad during the winter transfer window to improve competitiveness and avoid relegation.
“I want to commend the team’s performance, especially in the second half,” Zekri said. “It was a demanding match, and we faced difficulties for an extended period.
“We need to bolster our roster with new players. Despite the injury challenges and a difficult training camp, the players displayed strong team spirit, which compensated for some of our technical shortcomings.”
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