Duel in Jeddah: Ettifaq Edges Ittihad with a Veteran Tip and a Long-Range Wake-Up Call

Match context

In a Saudi Pro League clash in Jeddah, Predrag Raiković, the Al-Ittihad goalkeeper, conceded a powerful strike from Khalid Al-Ghannam of Al-Ettifaq, as the visitors took the lead in the 54th minute.

The two teams met in Jeddah for the 16th round of the season, with Ettifaq going ahead through a shot from just outside the penalty area in the 54th minute.

Takeaways and notes

The goal came after former Saudi international Mohammed Al-Dee'ei warned that Raiković is particularly vulnerable to long-range shots.

Al-Dee'ei had previously criticized the Serbian goalkeeper, arguing that he does not handle long-range efforts well.

Raiković entered the season with a bumpy start: before this match, he had appeared 20 times, conceding 22 goals and keeping six clean sheets.

Earlier, Raiković had conceded a free-kick from Algerian Said Benrahma in a Neom match, which prompted Deay to question the Ittihad shot-stopper's ability to deal with long-range shots.

The goalkeeper's form this season has been inconsistent, leading to rotation in some games.

Punchline 1: If long-range shots were Netflix series, Raiković would have a season finale every week.

Punchline 2: And if this article had a defense, it would finally get a clean sheet too.