Pitso Mosimane heaved a huge sigh of relief in the Saudi Pro League relegation fight after Abha Club beat Al-Ittihad on Friday night.
Abha put up a performance full of passion and enthusiasm to beat Al-Ittihad 3-1 in the presence of former Chelsea star Ngolo Kante.
The relegation-threatened Abha Club came into this one following a 4-0 loss to fellow relegation battlers Al Akhdoud last Saturday.
Much to the coaching legend Pitso Mosimane’s relief, they put up a decent fight in the first half. But the teams remained deadlocked going into the half-time break.
However, they turned on their screws in the second and grabbed the opening goal via a penalty converted by Grzegorz Krychowiak after 56 minutes.
Their lead was short-lived as Jota Filipe equalised for Al-Ittihad seven minutes later. Hassan Al-Ali then restored Abha’s advantage after 69 minutes.
And Fabián Noguera then put them in a comfortable position as they held on to gain a all-important win. He scored on the 73rd minute.
Abha are now in 16th place in the 18-team Saudi Pro League where only three teams will be demoted when the season ends.
COACHING LEGEND PITSO MOSIMANE AND ABHA REMAIN IN THE RELEGATION ZONE
In the four months he has led them, Abha has secured four wins, two draws and five losses. They have poor records both in terms of conversion and defending.
In 11 games they conceded 27 goals. Moreso, their porous defense has allowed 79 goals throughout the whole season. But the last five games have been arguably their worst run in this campaign.
They only managed one win and three losses in which they conceded 18 goals, eight of which were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al Nassr.
And at this point, they have the worst goal difference, with just 34 goals scored against a staggering 81 conceded.
As a result, they remain stuck in the murky waters of relegation as the dogfight reaches it’s boiling point.
It remains to be seen if Mosimane will be able to help them retain the elite league status. But with 28 points in 30 games, Abha need a near miracle to survive.
Four matches remain before the season ends and pressure is mounting on Mosimane to tinker with the team and avoid demotion. After this one, they face Damak, Al Khaleej and Mosimane’s former paymasters Al Ahli.
They will end the season with a date against Al Hazm who current sit at the bottom of the standings.
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