Mosimane’s dream of awakening ‘sleeping giant’ inching closer one game at a time
Pitso Mosimane’s dream of awakening the ‘sleeping giant’ Al Ahli Saudi is inching closer, one game at a time.
Mosimane’s charges on Monday, 20 February 2023, registered their 10th win since the three-time CAF Champions League-winning coach took over.
They beat Ohod 2-0 to maintain pressure on log leaders Al Hazm, who also won their fixture against Al Kholood on a similar scoreline.
MOSIMANE INCHING CLOSER TO THE DREAM
The result means they have moved away from the non-promotion spots by nine points with 12 games before the curtain comes down on the 2022/23 season.
Ahli got their goals through Haitham Mohammed Asiri in the 11th minute and Bastos in the 65th minute.
It was their seventh victory in their last eight matches, and the result keeps them level on 46 points with leaders Al Hazm.
Their points tally is nine points ahead of fifth-placed Al-Faisaly, who have a game in hand. The Saudi Pro League, home to Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, consists of 16 teams, while the Saudi First Division League, where Mosimane’s Ahli play, has 20 teams.
At the end of the season, the three bottom teams from the Pro League get relegated, and the top three teams in the First Division are promoted.
STEP BY STEP
“Whispering to the sleeping giant, and there is a response. Let’s take this journey slowly, Step by Step. Inshallah [if Allah wills it], we will arrive,” tweeted Mosimane after the win.
Mosimane’s mandate is to usher the team back to the top flight. His charges seem on track to achieve their target, having lost only once in 17 outings under his tutelage.
They have won 10 games under the former Bafana Bafana coach and drew six times. The former Mamelodi Sundowns mentor will have to guide the Jeddah outfit to a third-place finish or better to return the club to the Saudi Arabian topflight. The Saudi League doesn’t have playoffs.
They will be hoping to continue with their winning ways when they return to action on 1 March to face seventh-placed Jeddah.
RELATED STORY: Pitso Mosimane’s naked ambition