Pitso Mosimane’s quest to lift Abha FC from the relegation zone faced a significant hurdle on Sunday evening after they were defeated 3-2 by a resilient Al Feiha side, despite the visitors playing with ten men for most of the match.
Mosimane, who began his tenure with a draw, saw his team enter the away game in 17th place, desperate for points against a mid-table Al Feiha sitting seven points ahead.
Early hope emerged for Abha when Al Feiha’s Hussain Al Shuwaysh received a red card following a VAR review in just the fourth minute. The numerical advantage translated into a lead in the 29th minute as Grzegorz Krychowiak converted a penalty awarded through another VAR decision.
However, the joy was short-lived as Abdelhamid Sabiri equalised for Al Feiha with a free-kick in stoppage time of the first half. The tide continued to turn against Abha in the second half as Fashion Sakala, expertly set up by Ghislain Konan, put Al Feiha ahead in the 70th minute.
Sakala wasn’t done there, doubling his tally and deepening Abha’s woes in the 89th minute. Although Ahmed Abdu managed to pull one back for Abha in stoppage time, it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal as Al Feiha secured a dramatic victory.
This defeat leaves Mosimane with a significant task at hand as he tries to steer Abha away from the relegation zone in the remaining matches of the season.
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PITSO MOSIMANE’S ABHA’S STATS AGAINST ABHA
Mosimane’s charges enjoyed more possession in the game, with an average of 66%. They attempted 16 shots at goal, with only four on target. Their opponents had 13 shots on target, with six on target. Abha had 481 passes, as opposed to Al Feiha’s 262.
Abha face Al-Tai in their next game on Friday as they look to bounce back to winning ways.