Video shows Jesus' costly call that sparked the Riyadh derby crisis over Nawaf Al-Aqidi

What happened in the derby

The Riyadh derby finished 3-1 in favor of Al Hilal at Kingdom Arena, extending the leaders' advantage and complicating Al Nassr’s title push in the Roshen Saudi Pro League.

The coach's role under scrutiny

Sports analyst Metab Al-Hazaa attributed the loss to Jorge Jesus, arguing that the Portuguese coach bears responsibility for the team’s decisions and their impact on Nawaf Al-Aqidi and the squad’s morale.

Al-Hazaa claimed Jesus wanted Brazilian keeper Bento to start, but Bento allegedly refused due to injury fears ahead of a move to Genoa, a choice the pundit says affected the goalkeeper’s confidence.

He noted that Al-Aqidi’s sending-off and the overall setup influenced the comeback, insisting Jesus cannot escape some blame for the result.

According to Al-Hazaa, there were other contributing factors, but Jesus’s decision to rely on Bento wasn’t the sole cause; the manager remains accountable for the overall performance.

What this means moving forward

The title race now faces a tougher path for Al Nassr, with intense scrutiny of the coaching staff and ongoing questions about decision-making in big matches.

Punchlines: If coaching were a video game, Jesus would still be stuck on the Red Card level. And if this derby proved anything, it’s that even tactical genius can get benched by a bad day at the office!