Ghanaian midfielder Bernard Mensah scored and provided an assist as Al-Riyadh suffered a 4-2 defeat against Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League.
Despite his impressive individual contribution, Mensah could not prevent his team from losing after a dramatic contest in Dammam.
Al-Ettifaq took the lead in the 22nd minute through Moussa Dembele, who calmly converted a penalty. Al-Riyadh responded just before half-time when Teddy Okou finished a move created by Mensah, sending the visitors into the break level at 1-1.
Dembele restored Al-Ettifaq’s advantage from the spot nine minutes after the restart, but Mensah quickly answered. The Ghanaian midfielder found the net in the 56th minute, bringing Al-Riyadh back into the match and briefly shifting momentum in their favour.
Al-Ettifaq regained control late on. Rayane Messi scored in the 79th minute before Dembele completed his hat-trick with another penalty deep into stoppage time. The decisive spot-kick was awarded after Mensah was penalised for handball inside the box.
Mensah finished with a 8.4 Sofascore rating, the highest among Al-Riyadh players.
