AL MAJMA’AH, Saudi Arabia (Interstat) — Alexandre Mendy scored three goals and Al-Faisaly held off Al Kholood 3-2 on Thursday in a match that swung repeatedly before Mendy supplied the final answer in the 85th minute. Al-Faisaly led early, trailed after Al Kholood’s surge, pulled level just before halftime and then found the winner late. The result left Al-Faisaly at one win, no losses and one draw in the competition and the same record across all competitions. Al Kholood remained at no wins and two losses in the competition and no wins and two losses across all competitions. Mendy was Al-Faisaly’s top star, finishing with three goals.

Mendy opened the scoring in the 7th minute, converting to give the home side the first breakthrough. Al Kholood answered in the 19th minute when Shaquille Pinas scored. Julien Domingues then put Al Kholood ahead in the 45th minute, but Al-Faisaly responded in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time when Mendy scored again. That goal changed the halftime picture and set up the final stretch. Mendy completed his hat trick in the 85th minute, and Al Kholood could not produce another equalizer.

Al Kholood’s response was swift after Mendy’s opener. Pinas leveled in the 19th minute, and Domingues scored in the 45th to give the visitors a short-lived lead. Al-Faisaly’s answer came in first-half stoppage time, when Mendy beat the defense for a second time. The teams went to the break level, and the second half remained tight until Mendy found space again in the 85th. Al Kholood pushed forward after that goal, but Al-Faisaly managed the closing minutes and kept the visitors from scoring a third. The final whistle confirmed a home win built on Mendy’s finishing and assists from Flavio and Abdullah Almogren.

Flavio played the full 90 minutes and recorded an assist for Al-Faisaly. Abdullah Almogren, who was on the field for 29 minutes, also provided an assist. For Al Kholood, Ramzi Solan played the full 90 minutes, recorded an assist and received a yellow card. Pinas and Domingues each played the full 90 minutes and scored once. Their goals kept Al Kholood in the match after an early deficit and again after Al-Faisaly had drawn level. Al-Faisaly’s Andrei Girotto was shown a yellow card in the 17th minute. Solan’s booking came in the 84th minute.

Al-Faisaly made substitutions in the 61st minute involving Bongonda T. and Seoane J. Al Kholood made substitutions in the 64th minute involving Al Dawsari A. and Al Zubaidi Y. Al-Faisaly made another substitution in the 76th minute involving Al Muwallad E. Al Kholood made a substitution in the 90th minute involving Solan. Al-Faisaly made substitutions in the 90th-plus-3 involving Mendy and Al Shanqiti M. The substitutions did not alter the score after Mendy’s late winner. Al Kholood had lost 5-0 to Al-Qadsiah in its previous match. Al-Faisaly had drawn 0-0 at Abha in its previous outing.

The game featured five goals, with Al-Faisaly taking three and Al Kholood two. Al-Faisaly’s first goal came from Mendy, and his second arrived just before the halftime whistle. After Domingues had put Al Kholood in front, Mendy’s stoppage-time goal restored parity. The winner in the 85th made the difference as Al Kholood pressed for a late response. Al-Faisaly’s record in the competition now stands at one win, no losses and one draw, while Al Kholood’s competition record is no wins and two losses. The same records apply across all competitions.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Al-Faisaly 2, Al Kholood 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Al-Faisaly with a 66.4 percent probability to win. Al Kholood had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 0.5. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 2.5.