Former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo finally broke his goal drought in style, but it wasn’t enough to save Al-Wehda from defeat in their Saudi Pro League clash against Al-Qadsiah on Thursday evening.

The 35-year-old forward opened the scoring with a sensational left-footed strike in the 29th minute, marking his first goal against Al-Qadsiah and ending a frustrating 66-day goal drought, Footballrover reports.

However, Al-Wehda eventually crumbled to a 3-1 defeat at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, leaving their relegation battle wide open.

Odion Ighalo ends drought with stunning goal against Al-Qadsiah

It was a moment of brilliance from Odion Ighalo, who latched onto the ball in the box and fired a rocket into the top left corner—his sixth league goal of the season.

That strike also pushed his total contributions to nine in 33 appearances: six goals, two assists in the league, and one in the King’s Cup.

The last time Ighalo scored before this goal against Al-Qadsiah was on March 6, when he helped Al-Wehda to a 3-1 win over Al-Raed.

Since then, he had endured seven games without a goal, although he did manage to provide two assists in that span.

Unfortunately for Al-Wehda, Ighalo’s impact was short-lived. Just two minutes before halftime, Ezequiél Fernández assisted Cameron Puertas, who blasted a long-range effort into the top right corner to equalise for Al-Qadsiah.

Al-Qadsiah strike late as Al-Wehda’s survival fight deepens

Shortly after the restart, a goal from a former Chelsea star, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, was ruled out by VAR, giving Al-Wehda brief hope.

But as the game wore on, their defence faltered.

At the 66-minute mark, Odion Ighalo was subbed off for Jawad El Yamiq. Al-Qadsiah took full advantage of his absence, scoring twice in the dying moments.

First, Puertas bagged his brace with a close-range strike in the 86th minute, following a clever headed assist.

Then, in the 98th minute, the ex-Chelsea player turned scorer and sealed the win with a low drive into the center of the net. VAR confirmed the goal, wrapping up a 3-1 result.

Al-Wehda had come into the match on the back of consecutive wins over Al-Fateh and Al-Okhdood, but this loss leaves their survival hopes hanging by a thread.

Al-Qadsiah, meanwhile, remains third in the league and continues to chase table-toppers Al-Ittihad, trailing by just 10 points.

Odion Ighalo and his teammates must now treat their remaining fixtures against Al-Hilal and Al-Ettifaq as must-win matches—because their top-flight status may well depend on it.

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Last Updated on May 15, 2025 9:08 pm by footballrover