Saudi Gazette report
ABHA — Damac’s team thwarted Al-Ahli’s joy, securing a 2-2 draw in the dying minutes of their encounter at the Al-Mahalla stadium in Abha as part of the 13th round of the Saudi Professional League.
Damac denied Al-Ahli the opportunity to advance in the standings and get closer to leaders Al-Hilal, as Al-Ahli raised their points to 26, temporarily moving toward the third position. Meanwhile, Damac increased their points to 15.
Allan Saint-Maximin suffered an injury that forced him to leave the match early, leading Al-Ahli’s coach, Matthias Jaissle, to substitute him with Sumaihan Al-Nabit.
Algerian Riyad Mahrez took the lead in scoring two goals in the first half. In the 11th minute, he sent a cross from a corner kick that Abdul Basset Hindi headed into the net. In the 44th minute, Mahrez made a great effort in the attack, turning the ball inside the penalty area, which substitute Sumaihan Al-Nabit converted into the second goal for Al-Ahli.
Al-Ahli came close to extending their lead in the first half, but they exited with a perfect 2-0 score.
The game slowed down in the second half, and Damac’s desire to equalize became apparent. They succeeded in reducing the gap in the 74th minute through Farouk Chafai, who translated a cross from Abdul Rahman Al-Obeid.
Romanian Nicolae Stanciu secured the equalizer in the second minute of injury time.