Pitso Mosimane’s Abha Boost Saudi Pro League Survival Chances After Crashing Benzema Less Al Ittihad

• Abha Club stunned Al-Ittihad to boost their survival chances
• It was the first league win for Abha over the Tigers since 2020
• Meanwhile, Ittihad were without the services of Karim Benzema

Pitso Mosimane's Abha Club significantly boosted their chances of survival in the Saudi Pro League by stunning a Karim Benzema-less Al Ittihad.

The relegation-threatened side scored three second-half goals to pick up a 3-1 win, ending their back-to-back defeats while compounding the woes of the defending champions on Friday, May 3.

How Mosimane masterminded Ittihad's downfall

While the scoreline might prove deceptive in nature, considering Abha were on the back foot for most part of the game, it also underlines their effectiveness in front of goal.

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Despite missing Benzema due to injury, the Tigers were not bereft of attacking options. The attacking trio of Jota, Romarinho, and Saleh Al Amri bombarded the Abha goal with incessant attacks.

They mustered six goal attempts with four on target but it was the home side that broke the deadlock through talisman, Grzegorz Krychowiak, via the penalty spot in the 57th minute.

The lead did not last long as Jota scored six minutes later from a rebound after missing his spot-kick to bring his side back on terms.

Nonetheless, Mosimane's men soon restored the lead through young forward, Hassan Al Ali, with Fabian Noguera scoring the icing on the cake with 17 minutes left on the clock.

The victory is a great welcome for Abha, who moved up a place to 16th place. On the same point tally as 15th-placed Al Akhdood, Abha is just a point behind Al Riyadh in 14th position.

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What's next for Mosimane's Abha?

Next is another home fixture against Damac on May 10. Eight days later, the team will travel to Jeddah to face Al Ahli. Then, they will play host to Al Khaleej and finally wrap up the campaign against bottom-placed Al Hazem.

Mosimane speaks about Super Eagles coaching role

Before Finidi George was appointed, Pitso Mosimane's name was considered for the Super Eagles coaching role, as noted by Sports Brief.

During a recent meeting, football journalist Oma Akatugba jokingly suggested to the 56-year-old that he should take over Nigeria's coaching position.

In response, Akatugba playfully bantered, "We want you in Nigeria," prompting Mosimane to cheekily reply, "You can't afford me," as shared on his Instagram page.