Al Nassr vs Al Fateh

Right, that's how you start a season. Al Nassr, your reigning Saudi Pro League champions, did exactly what everyone expected them to do against Al Fateh on Saturday evening. Three goals. Clean sheet. Job done. Simple as that.

Look, this was never going to be a classic. Al Nassr were at home, they had the crowd, they had the quality, and they were playing a side that finished twelfth in the league last season with a goal difference of minus fourteen. You could see this one coming a mile off. But credit where it is due, the way they went about it was impressive. Controlled. Professional. Clinical when it mattered.

First Half: Al Nassr Turn the Screw

The first thing that jumps out from the match events is the early yellow card for Al Fateh in the third minute. A foul, before the game had even got going properly. That set the tone. Al Fateh were already on the back foot psychologically and Al Nassr just kept coming at them.

There was a notable moment in the eighteenth minute when Al Nassr made a substitution, which you do not often see that early. Something was not right with one of their starters, and the player who came on ended up playing a massive role in what followed. Because in the thirty-seventh minute, that substitute was involved in the assist for the opening goal, a left foot shot that put Al Nassr ahead. Two goals in the space of three minutes is what really killed the game though. The fortieth minute brought a second, also a left foot shot, and at two-nil going in at half-time, Al Fateh were cooked.

Look at the stats from that first period and it tells you everything. Al Nassr had sixty percent of the ball across the game. They created seventeen key passes to Al Fateh's seven. Sixty-one dangerous attacks to thirty-two. This was a mismatch and the scoreline at half-time was entirely fair.

Second Half: Subs Do the Business

The second half started with Al Fateh making a change at the break, hooking the player who picked up the early yellow card. Understandable. But it changed nothing. Al Nassr were comfortable, managing the game, not even going full throttle.

Then in the sixty-sixth minute, Al Nassr made a double substitution, bringing on fresh legs. Seven minutes later, one of those substitutes, a player who had literally just come on, scored the third. Right foot shot. Clinical. That is what depth of squad does for you. Your subs come on and score. That is the difference between a title contender and everyone else.

Al Fateh were chasing shadows by this point. They ended the game having made five substitutions themselves, throwing everything at trying to get something on the scoresheet, but it never looked like happening. Their goalkeeper made six saves across the ninety minutes. Al Nassr's keeper only needed to make three. That sums it up really.

The Numbers Tell the Story

Honestly, I actually looked at the numbers for once and they back up everything you saw with your eyes. Al Nassr had eighteen shots in total to Al Fateh's nine. Thirteen of Al Nassr's shots came from inside the box compared to just five for Al Fateh. Nine shots on target to three.

Now I know Marcus is going to wheel out something about xG here. And fine, yes, there is a stat that gets bandied about by people in cardigans that supposedly measures the quality of chances. I won't pretend to fully understand it, but even that would tell you Al Nassr battered them.

The passing stats are interesting too. Al Nassr completed 391 successful passes from 452 attempts, an 87 percent completion rate. Al Fateh managed 80 percent, which is actually not embarrassing, but the volume difference tells the real story. Al Nassr had 452 passes. Al Fateh had 304. When you are that far behind in territory and possession, you are just managing and hoping. Al Fateh were managing and hoping for most of the ninety minutes.

One thing I will say for Al Fateh, and fair play to them, they actually won more duels than Al Nassr. Forty-six to forty-four. And they hit the woodwork once, which with a bit of luck might have given them something to hold onto. But that is Al Fateh's season in miniature from last year, is it not. Decent fight, not enough quality, end up on the wrong side of the result.

What This Means for Al Nassr

They are top of the Saudi Pro League after matchday one with three points and a three goal difference. Perfect start. Last season they won the title with 86 points from 34 games, scoring 91 goals and conceding just 28. That is a ridiculous record. And they are picking up exactly where they left off.

The injuries are worth flagging. Al Nassr have a handful of players out for the long term, with some not expected back until the end of the year at the earliest. But here is the thing. They won 3-0 without needing their full squad firing. That is actually a bit of a worry for everyone else in this league, is it not.

Al Fateh meanwhile sit eighteenth after one game, bottom of the table on no points with a minus three goal difference. Their away record from last season was grim, nine wins from thirty-four games, and their last five away games this season going into this fixture showed zero wins from five. Look at the fixtures for them going forward and it is not getting much easier.

Final Thoughts

Al Nassr were everything you expected them to be. Dominant in possession, dangerous on the attack, clinical in front of goal. Three different scorers, which suggests goals are going to be spread around this squad all season. The fact that a substitute came off the bench and scored within minutes of coming on tells you about the depth they have got.

Al Fateh gave it a go but were simply outclassed. No shame in that against the champions. The question for them is whether they can find the consistency they lacked last season. A twelfth place finish with fourteen goals conceded more than scored does not suggest a team ready to challenge. They will need to be tighter at the back and more creative going forward if they want to avoid another bottom half finish.

You heard it here first. Al Nassr are going to be very, very hard to stop this season. Don't @ me.