'Qassim, Buraidah, it's yellow' - Al Taawoun win derby classic | OneFootball

After a Qassim Derby for the ages swayed one way and the other, Al Taawoun midfielder Faycal Fajr tried to sum up what had just gone before.

The designated hosts had triumphed 4-3 at King Abdullah Sports City on Thursday night, rebounding from Amir Sayound's opener for Al Raed midway through the first half to seemingly cruise towards a win – and the all-important local bragging rights.

Four minutes into the second half, Waleed Al Ahmad had added to goals from Andrei Girotto, Roger Martinez and an Abdullah Al Yousif own goal to put Mohammed Al Abdali's men 4-1 up.

But, to their credit, Al Raed rallied, through goals from Ayoub Qasmi and Oumar Gonzalez, the Roshn Saudi League’s bottom club evidently not prepared to go down without a fight.

From there, Al Taawoun were made to work for the win. Of course they were. This wasn’t simply a side scrapping for their top-flight lives, or an Al Taawoun pushing for seventh but still piecing together the campaign’s final stretch following an agonising semi-final exit from the Asian Champions League Two.

This, after all, was the Qassim Derby. And Fayr knew it.

Speaking once Al Taawoun had ultimately held out for the three points, the Moroccan underlined what everyone had been thinking.

“It’s amazing game for the fans,” he said. “But we don’t need to forget that this game is a derby. It’s a difficult game; also for them, they’re down [in the table]. We made a good first half. We had the chance to go in at 3-1.

"After? Sometimes football’s like this. They came back with more power, and we conceded two goals where we could defend better. When I say defend, I mean not only the defensive players - it’s all the team.

“But in the end, we win 4-3. We were better today. And like the people say here, 'Qassim, Buraidah, it’s yellow'. Alhamdulillah.”

The victory did lift Al Taawoun into seventh, one point above Al Ettifaq and 10 off sixth-placed Al Shabab with five rounds of the 2024-25 RSL remaining. Al Raed, meanwhile, are battling to compete in the top tier of Saudi football next season.

Rooted to the foot of the standings, they lie seven points from safety. Next up, in Matchweek 30 on May 7, they welcome to their own patch title-chasing champions Al Hilal.