Ittihad Clinches Local Glory as Jesus Faces First Classic Setback

A historic victory saw Al Ittihad beat their arch-rivals Al Nassr 2-1 on Tuesday in the King’s Cup, at Al Ittihad Park in Riyadh. The win gave the club and coach Sergio Conceição several positives, while Al Nassr and fellow Portuguese trainer Jorge Jesus absorbed a tough setback.

First domestic win

The win represented Conceição’s first domestic triumph with the club since succeeding Laurent Blanc. Since his arrival, the Portuguese coach had stumbled in the Saudi Pro League, drawing 1-1 with Al Fayha away and then losing 0-2 at home to Al Hilal. He had only one other win in the AFC Champions League, a 4-1 victory over Iraq’s Al-Shorta in the group stage. This victory thus ends a slow domestic run and raises expectations for a league win when the team visits Al Khaleej next Saturday in Round 7.

First Classic win

It was also Ittihad’s first classic victory of the season, despite four prior encounters with Al Nassr across competitions. The season began with a 1-2 Super Cup semifinal loss to Al Nassr in Hong Kong, followed by another league defeat at Al Inma Stadium. The third classic meeting came last Friday, October 24, with Ittihad losing 0-2 to Al Hilal at home. The upcoming derby against cross-city rivals Al Ahli on November 8 at Al Inma remains a fresh test for both teams.

Conceição dominance

Conceição’s win levelled the head-to-head against Jesus across their meetings since their time in Portugal, with Conceição notching several recent results against his counterpart. Jesus’ last victory over Conceição dates back to 2018 when Sporting beat Porto in the Portuguese Cup semifinal before advancing on penalties. Since then, Conceição has secured multiple wins, with a handful of draws in 11 encounters. In the Saudi context, their meetings show Conceição holding the upper hand over Jesus in the majority of the last few clashes, though every new classic adds its own twist.

Another angle of the rivalry is the venue: Allegedly, Al Nassr have struggled to win regularly at their home ground against Conceição’s teams in recent derbies, heightening the sense that the “home” advantage can tilt the balance in high-stakes matches. The next big test for the duo comes in the form of the upcoming derby against Al Ahli, a match that could sharpen the competitive edge for both coaches.

Overall, the 2-1 result keeps the Saudi Cup story line alive, with Conceição’s men looking steadier and Jesus seeking a timely response for a season that already contains a lot of drama and a few shock moments.

And as the stadium lights fade, the football gods remind us: in club football, even a win can be a chapter in a bigger saga we’re all eager to read. Punchline time: If tactics were weapons, Conceição just pulled out a two-goal flare at the right moment. And Jesus? He’s still calculating how many classics it will take to overturn this scoreline—spoiler: it’s not the same number you’d use to count sheep after a long flight. Another punchline, just because: in football, the rumors are true—the ball is round, the results are not always, and the coaches are playing chess while the players play checkers with the ball.”