Al Jandal’s Emanuel Novo: We beat Al Ahli in King’s Cup, so why not Al Ittihad?

Saudi Arabia

Mark Lomas, Al Arabiya English

Published: 26 October ,2024: 03:29 PM GST Updated: 26 October ,2024: 03:34 PM GST

7 min read

In the last round of the King’s Cup, there was one result that stood out - head and shoulders - above the rest. In its first season playing in the second-tier of Saudi football, Al Jandal sprung one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history by beating Al Ahli.

The 2-1 away win was unquestionably the most significant result Al Jandal has ever had; the small team from the town of Dumat al-Jandal vanquished the record 13-time King’s Cup’s winner, thanks to first-half goals by midfielder Abdullah Matuq and Tunisian winger Yassine Amri.

The club’s reward for its incredible Cup upset is another trip to Jeddah in the last-16. On Monday, Al Jandal will aim to do it all again when it travels to King Abdullah Sports City to take on nine-time Saudi Pro League champion Al Ittihad.

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It is an even tougher assignment than last time. Al Ittihad has been playing with renewed confidence under new coach Laurent Blanc this season, with captain Karim Benzema epitomizing the team’s improvement; the ex-Real Madrid striker has been scoring freely as Al Ittihad has gone toe-to-toe with Al Hilal at the top of the Saudi Pro League table.

But according to Al Jandal’s Portuguese goalkeeper Emanuel Novo, whose impressive performance between the posts helped the club secure its historic victory against Al Ahli, there is no reason why the Saudi First Division minnow can’t repeat its upset.

“This is a competition to enjoy, especially when you play against the biggest teams,” Novo told Al Arabiya English. “Every player wants to play these big matches with the big teams. We had a feeling we would get another major challenge and we are happy about it.”

“In our careers, these opportunities don’t come around all the time so we will make the most of it as these are the games that we will take with us after we retire - that we will tell our kids about in the future. Al Ittihad is the perfect opponent and we are excited.”

“Can we win? Why not? Football is 11 against 11 and money doesn't win games; the history of the players doesn't win games. It’s about who plays best on the day. Anything can happen and everything is possible.”

Al Jandal, currently sitting mid-table in the Saudi First Division table after an inauspicious start to its league season, has the perfect blueprint to refer to. A defensively astute performance in the last round of the King’s Cup against Al Ahli was punctuated by a pair of counter-attacking goals.

Al Ahli’s star man Riyad Mahrez was not involved that night but coach Matthias Jaissle still put out a strong XI that included ex-Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino and England striker Ivan Toney, as well as first-choice center-back pairing Roger Ibañez and Meirh Demiral.

Novo and his teammates rose nervelessly to the challenge, though the goalkeeper admits that Al Jandal’s 2-0 half-time lead came as a surprise even to them.

“I spoke to the team in the dressing room before the game and told them that we had to give it our best and be careful defensively,” Novo recalls. “That’s exactly what we did.”

“We were definitely not expecting to be 2-0 up after 45 minutes and after that we were just defending like crazy. As each minute went by, we were dreaming of victory.”

Al Jandal held on for the most famous result in its history and Novo, whose biggest previous knockout cup appearance was against Portuguese giants Porto at the iconic Estádio do Dragao, says the victory will bever be forgotten.

“It was a big day for us. Al Jandal is a small team in a small city in Saudi Arabia and I think nobody believed we could win this match. For the president, and the fans, this was a win that is impossible to forget.”

Ex-Al Riyadh and Jeddah SC shot-stopper Novo feels that causing an upset against Ittihad will be tougher than last time - chiefly because Blanc’s side will be less likely to underestimate Al Jandal, determined to avoid the fate that befell its cross-city rival.

“I think It will be different because Ittihad comes with this memory about what happened to Ahli in this last game,” Novo says.

“They will not be surprised again and I think they will be more careful with us.”

“We are focused and excited, working a lot to be ready for this match because we have our dreams and I think we can make it difficult for them. It will be great to face Benzema, Kante and Diaby - all those stars who play for Ittihad.”

Al Ittihad skipper Benzema was rested in the last round of the King’s Cup but Novo is hoping that he is involved this time in Jeddah and issued a friendly warning to the ex-Real Madrid forward ahead of the game.

“Of course our players are not used to playing against these big stars who we are normally watching on the TV,” Novo said. “But I will always try to lead by example as I am one of the most experienced players in the squad and I feel the respect from my teammates.”

“I hope Benzema will play and if he does, I can't wait to face him. I never imagined in these last years after I came to Saudi Arabia that I would be able to face a player like this.”

“It will be a big challenge for me, of course, but I think Karim will also have to take care because I will not make things easy for him. We promise we will give everything to have another historic day.”

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