MEDINA (Interstat) — Al Ula overcame an early red card to Al Orubah and a first-half deficit, scoring three times after the break to beat the visiting side 3-1 on Monday at Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Stadium. Al Orubah struck first through Hisham Al Dubais but could not protect the lead after Paulo Vitor was sent off in the 32nd minute. Al Ula improved its season record in the competition to 7-0-2, while Al Orubah fell to 0-1-2.

The match turned early when Paulo Vitor received a red card in the 32nd minute, leaving Al Orubah to play with 10 men. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Al Orubah took the lead five minutes later. Al Dubais scored in the 37th minute, with Mohammed Krishan providing the assist. Al Orubah held that advantage into halftime, but the home side increased pressure after the interval. Al Ula made a halftime substitution, bringing on Quioto R., and began to control possession in the attacking third. Al Orubah also made changes after the break, including Zakaria K. in the 62nd minute and a group of substitutions in the 73rd minute that included removing Al Dubais. The visitors could not clear the danger.

Al Ula equalized in the 61st minute through Andre Horta. The goal changed the momentum and forced Al Orubah to defend deeper. Al Ula went ahead in the 69th minute when Abdulfattah Adam scored. Adam then sealed the result in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, finishing a late move to complete his brace and make it 3-1. The late goal capped the comeback. Horta and Michael were later withdrawn after helping Al Ula take control, while Al Ula also introduced Al Sulaiheem A. in the 73rd minute. Al Orubah made further changes, including Al Rashidi F. in the 84th minute, in an attempt to respond.

Al Ula’s attacking support came from several sources. F. Jumaiya, Sylla Sow and Michael each recorded an assist, while Adam’s two goals proved decisive. Michael’s assist came before his 87th-minute substitution, and Horta was replaced in the 82nd minute after scoring. Horta’s equalizer was the turning point, and Adam’s second goal removed any chance of an Al Orubah comeback. Al Orubah’s O. Al Sharari was shown a yellow card in the 80th minute. The visitors finished with 10 men and could not find a second goal after Al Dubais’ opener. Al Ula’s pressure after halftime produced a sustained run of chances and the home side finally broke through after Horta’s goal.

Al Ula remained unbeaten in the competition and moved to 7-0-2. Al Orubah’s competition record stands at 0-1-2. Both records are the same across all competitions for the two clubs. Al Ula’s previous competition results included draws with Al Orobah and Al Zulfi and a win over Al Jeel. Al Orubah had drawn with Al Bukiryah Club and Hajer. Al Ula had entered the match on a strong run and continued it with a second-half performance that featured sustained pressure and three goals after the break. Al Orubah, which had drawn its previous two matches in the competition, was left to rue the early red card and the missed chance to protect its first-half lead. Al Orubah’s winless start continued while Al Ula kept its unbeaten campaign intact.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Al Ula 3, Al Orubah 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Al Ula with a 79 percent probability to win. Al Ula had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 4 went under the over/under line of 2.5.