Pitso Mosimane’s title ambitions in Saudi Arabia got a boost 24 hours before they returned to action after the international break.
Going into the break a fortnight ago, Mosimane’s Al Ahli slipped to a shock defeat, which saw them move to second place.
The former Bafana Bafana coach watched as his charges succumbed to their second defeat since he took over the Ahli hot seat in September 2022.
Ahli fell to a 2-0 loss to Al Riyadh, ending their five-match unbeaten run. Of course, Mosimane was named Coach of the Month after guiding his side to three wins and one defeat.
TITLE RACE TOOK A TWIST
But the result meant the title race swung again for the three-time CAF Champions League winner, with title challengers Al Hazem winning 2-0 against Ohod in a league match.
With that win, Al Hazem moved to the top, one point ahead of Ahli. After 25 fixtures, Al Hazem had collected 53 points off 16 wins and five draws. The other four games ended in losses.
On the other hand, Ahli had amassed 52 points from 15 wins, seven draws and three losses.
On Monday, Al Hazem faced third-placed Al Riyadh and the match ended goalless, moving the log leaders to 54 points, just two ahead of Ahli.
It left Ahly with a game in hand, just two points adrift, as he prepares to guide ‘The Royals’ against Al Jabalain at Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa’ed Stadium on Tuesday night.
Al Jabalain are placed eighth on the table, 19 points behind the Jeddah side Ahli.
TITLE BID BOOST FOR MOSIMANE
Mosimane would do well to collect maximum points ahead of them, moving them to 55 points and back to the summit of the Saudi second-tier league table.
With just nine games left before the curtain comes down on the Saudi Arabia first division, Mosimane is within short of lifting the title and also guiding his team to promotion.
They have shown before that they can take a defeat and come back stronger, having gone on an impressive five-match winning run after their last loss.
Mosimane’s only other loss this season was an emphatic 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Al Akhdoud at the start of February.
However, they picked themselves up and went on an incredible run that saw them assume pole position in the Saudi Arabia second tier.
This week, they stand another chance to return to pole position again. While the priority is getting the team back into the topflight, winning the title would be the cherry on top for Mosimane’s burgeoning CV.
Thus far, the South African tactician has picked up 12 wins, six draws and two defeats since taking over Al Ahli Saudi.
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