German coach Jens Wissing began his tenure at Al-Ittihad with a hard-fought friendly victory over South Africa’s Orlando Pirates, as new striker Youssef En-Nesyri scored on his first outing for the Saudi club in Spain.
The Jeddah side edged a 3-2 win on Tuesday in Marbella, in the first match of their overseas pre-season training camp.
En-Nesyri, recently signed from Sevilla, opened the scoring early on, before Moussa Diaby and Nigerian forward George Elinikanha added further goals in what became an entertaining, open contest on the Costa del Sol.
En-Nesyri marks debut with early header
Al-Ittihad took the lead in the 11th minute when Moroccan international En-Nesyri rose highest in the box to head in a precise cross from Abdulrahman Al-Aboud.
The goal underlined exactly why the club moved to bring in the prolific forward this summer, as he immediately showed his aerial threat and penalty-area instincts against the South African visitors.
But Orlando Pirates, one of the most successful clubs in their country, responded strongly and levelled midway through the first half.
In the 27th minute, Pirates player Mbatta unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area that Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic was unable to keep out, making it 1-1.
Diaby restores lead on stroke of half-time
As the first half moved into stoppage time, Al-Ittihad regained control of the scoreline.
In the second minute of added time, French winger Moussa Diaby collected the ball on the edge of the box and drove a left-footed shot beyond the Pirates goalkeeper to restore the Saudi side’s advantage at 2-1.
Al-Ittihad looked the stronger team before the interval, with Wissing opting to field most of his key players from the start as he assessed his first-choice line-up in match conditions.
Their dominance in the first 45 minutes reflected both the squad’s superior individual quality and the desire of several new signings to impress the incoming coach early in pre-season.
Wholesale changes after the break
Wissing made numerous substitutions in the second half, rotating heavily to give minutes to a wide range of squad members and academy prospects.
The change in personnel shifted the balance of the game, with the intensity and control Al-Ittihad had shown before the break dropping as the match wore on.
Despite that, the Saudi Pro League side found a crucial third goal late in the contest.
In the 85th minute, Nigerian striker George Elinikanha struck to make it 3-1, finishing off a move that effectively settled the friendly in Al-Ittihad’s favour.
Orlando Pirates reduced the deficit again shortly before full-time, capitalising on the reshuffled Ittihad defence to pull the score back to 3-2, but there was no time left to complete a comeback.
Tougher Spanish tests to come
The Marbella fixture was the first of several pre-season matches arranged to prepare Al-Ittihad for the new domestic and continental campaigns under Wissing’s leadership.
Their next outing will be against Spanish side Las Palmas on 25 July, followed by a meeting with La Liga club Real Mallorca on 30 July, also in Spain.
The two matches against Spanish opposition are expected to provide a sterner examination of Wissing’s tactical ideas and the integration of key recruits such as En-Nesyri and Diaby.
For now, though, the German coach has a morale-boosting opening win, an immediate goal from his headline summer signing, and early indications of the attacking potential at his disposal as Al-Ittihad build towards the new season.
