After the Sundowns disaster: Mohammed Noor pushes Al-Ahli Saudi towards a fateful decision

New attack

Mohammed Noor isn't letting up. The Saudi football legend and former Al-Ittihad star has kept up his criticism of Al-Ahli head coach Marino Pušić after the 2-1 defeat to South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, backing the criticism Hussein Abdulghani aimed at the coach following the match. Sundowns took the lead, Al-Ahli equalised, then the South African side regained the advantage and closed out the win.

Read also: Saudi anger: Al-Ahli's shock against Sundowns reopens the Morocco and Senegal file

Speaking on the "Nadina" programme, Noor insisted Pušić should not stay on at Al-Ahli in the coming period. Keeping the coach, he argued, would bring no genuine change to the current situation, especially after the display the team produced in the second half against Sundowns.

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The Al-Ittihad legend echoed Abdulghani, who launched a sharp attack on Pušić and held him responsible for Al-Ahli's second-half collapse. According to Abdulghani, the coach failed to read the flow of the match and did not exploit the spaces that opened up behind the Sundowns defence.

Keeping Pušić, Noor said, would be "largely a waste of time". It was a clear verdict on the head coach's future. The team needs a decisive call, he argued, not more of the same after the defeat to the African champions.

Noor's remarks land amid a wave of criticism aimed at Pušić since the final whistle. Al-Ahli threw away the chance to settle the tie despite drawing level, only for Sundowns to strike a second and take the points. The Dutch coach defended his side, insisting Al-Ahli created plenty of chances and did not deserve to lose.