Al Fateh Turn Bendebka’s Reunion Sour as Batna Seals Stunning 3-2 Stoppage-Time Escape at Al Hazem

AR RASS, Saudi Arabia, October 15, 2026: Mourad Batna struck five minutes into stoppage time to complete a stunning 3-2 comeback against Al Hazem and give Al Fateh their first Saudi Pro League victory of the season on Thursday. The visitors trailed 2-1 until the 88th minute, when Faisal Abdulwahed equalized, before Batna delivered the winner at Al Hazem Club Stadium. Wilfried Kanga had earlier scored Al Fateh’s first goal, while Sofiane Bendebka and Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi had twice put the hosts ahead.

The defeat carried a particularly painful twist for Bendebka, who spent six seasons at Al Fateh before joining Al Hazem in August. His 17th-minute penalty against his former club appeared to be the beginning of a memorable reunion, and Al Duwaihi’s 49th-minute goal put the hosts within reach of victory. Instead, Al Fateh scored twice in the closing minutes, ending an eight-match winless start and rescuing three points that looked increasingly unlikely with time running out.

Al Hazem 2-3 Al Fateh: Match Result, Goals and Key Statistics

The Saudi Pro League Matchweek 9 encounter produced five goals, a late reversal and an unusual statistical balance between the two teams.

The official Saudi Pro League fixture page confirms the match date, competition and venue.

TSE VISUAL BRIEFING

Story at a glance

01

Al Hazem 2-3 Al Fateh: Match Result, Goals and Key Statistics

The Saudi Pro League Matchweek 9 encounter produced five goals, a late reversal and an unusual statistical balance between the two teams.

02

Sofiane Bendebka Scores Against Al Fateh, the Club He Served for Six Seasons

The first goal carried a personal significance that extended well beyond the immediate contest.

03

Wilfried Kanga Cancels Out Bendebka’s Early Penalty

Wilfried Kanga brought Al Fateh level in the 27th minute, scoring only 10 minutes after Bendebka had given Al Hazem the advantage.

04

Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi Restores Al Hazem’s Lead Four Minutes After Halftime

Al Hazem regained the advantage in the 49th minute when Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi made it 2-1.

05

Faisal Abdulwahed Strikes in the 88th Minute to Keep Al Fateh Alive

For nearly 40 minutes after Al Duwaihi’s goal, Al Hazem remained in front.

Al Hazem vs Al Fateh: Full-Time Team Statistics

Match statistics are taken from the supplied full-time match display. Independent confirmation of the complete post-match statistical record was pending when this report was prepared.

The equality in the shooting statistics makes the result particularly interesting. Both teams attempted 12 shots, hit the target six times and finished with exactly half the possession.

Yet Al Fateh converted three of their six efforts on target, while Al Hazem scored twice from the same number.

That difference in finishing efficiency became decisive during the extraordinary final minutes.

Sofiane Bendebka Scores Against Al Fateh, the Club He Served for Six Seasons

The first goal carried a personal significance that extended well beyond the immediate contest.

Al Hazem were awarded a penalty in the 17th minute, and Sofiane Bendebka converted against the club where he had spent six seasons.

The Algerian midfielder joined Al Hazem during the summer of 2026 after becoming one of Al Fateh’s most recognizable players.

According to the Saudi Pro League’s official feature on Bendebka’s return to face his former club, he recorded 47 goals and 23 assists during his six seasons with Al Fateh.

Those 70 direct goal contributions demonstrate the scale of his previous influence.

He had been an important part of the club’s attacking output across several seasons, building a connection that made Thursday’s meeting especially meaningful.

The league’s October 14 feature also highlighted his personal connection with Al Ahsa, where his son was born during his time at Al Fateh.

His penalty gave Al Hazem a 1-0 lead and appeared to provide an ideal sporting beginning to the reunion.

The circumstances were particularly awkward for Al Fateh. Having struggled for goals and victories throughout the opening eight league matches, they had fallen behind through a player who knew the club and its culture intimately.

However, the visitors recovered before halftime.

Wilfried Kanga Cancels Out Bendebka’s Early Penalty

Wilfried Kanga brought Al Fateh level in the 27th minute, scoring only 10 minutes after Bendebka had given Al Hazem the advantage.

The equalizer was important for a team that had entered the fixture having scored just four goals across its opening eight Saudi Pro League matches.

That modest attacking return was central to Al Fateh’s difficult beginning.

Earlier in the campaign, they failed to defeat Al Faisaly despite playing more than half an hour against 10 men.

Their 1-1 draw in Al Majma’ah exposed a recurring problem: Al Fateh could establish promising attacking positions without consistently finding the additional goal required to secure a victory.

Against Al Hazem, Kanga prevented another early setback from dictating the remainder of the evening.

Both teams entered halftime level at 1-1.

Al Fateh had demonstrated that they could respond to falling behind, but the second half would bring another test of that resilience.

Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi Restores Al Hazem’s Lead Four Minutes After Halftime

Al Hazem regained the advantage in the 49th minute when Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi made it 2-1.

The timing gave the hosts an opportunity to shape the remainder of the contest around their lead.

They had already experienced success with that approach earlier in the season.

On September 8, Al Hazem defeated Al Taawoun 1-0 despite having only 30 percent possession.

Aboubacar Bah scored in the third minute of that match, after which Jalel Kadri’s side defended their advantage against opponents who finished with 70 percent possession and 14 shots.

The victory demonstrated Al Hazem’s ability to protect a narrow lead while accepting extended periods without the ball.

Thursday appeared to offer another opportunity to apply that discipline.

They were ahead, playing at home and facing opponents without a league victory.

The advantage survived until the 88th minute.

What happened next transformed the match.

Faisal Abdulwahed Strikes in the 88th Minute to Keep Al Fateh Alive

For nearly 40 minutes after Al Duwaihi’s goal, Al Hazem remained in front.

Al Fateh needed an equalizer before they could even consider winning.

Faisal Abdulwahed finally supplied it in the 88th minute.

The goal brought the visitors level at 2-2 and immediately changed the value of the closing minutes.

For Al Hazem, a match that had offered three points was suddenly heading toward a draw.

For Al Fateh, the result had become salvageable, with an opportunity still available to secure their first win.

Abdulwahed Finally Gets the Ending He Was Denied Against Diriyah

The equalizer also continued an interesting personal storyline for Abdulwahed.

On September 9, he scored against Diriyah to make that match 1-1 after Darwin Núñez had given the visitors the lead from the penalty spot.

However, Adil Boulbina subsequently restored Diriyah’s advantage, and Al Fateh lost 2-1.

Our earlier analysis of that defeat examined how Abdulwahed’s equalizer briefly revived Al Fateh before another costly concession undermined their recovery.

Against Al Hazem, Abdulwahed again scored the goal that restored parity.

This time, his team found a way to capitalize on it.

Batna ensured the equalizer became the foundation for a victory rather than another isolated moment in a disappointing result.

Mourad Batna’s 95th-Minute Winner Completes a Remarkable Escape

With the match deep into stoppage time, Al Fateh found one more goal.

Mourad Batna scored in the fifth additional minute, completing the comeback and giving the visitors a 3-2 lead.

Seven minutes separated Abdulwahed’s equalizer from Batna’s winner.

The two goals converted a likely defeat into three points.

Batna’s contribution is especially important when viewed alongside Al Fateh’s attacking struggles before this fixture.

The team had scored only four league goals in eight matches. On Thursday, three different players scored in a single game.

That broader distribution of goals gives Al Fateh something to build on after a difficult opening to the campaign.

Batna has been one of the club’s experienced attacking figures for several seasons, and his contribution here arrived when the opportunity to win appeared almost exhausted.

His winner also meant that Bendebka’s emotionally significant penalty had ultimately counted for nothing in the result.

Al Hazem led twice.

Al Fateh recovered twice and then found the winning goal.

That progression explains why the final score was considerably more dramatic than the relatively balanced team statistics might suggest.

What Do the Numbers Explain About Al Fateh’s Comeback?

The most revealing statistical feature of Thursday’s match is how closely the teams matched each other across several conventional performance measures.

Both attempted 12 shots.

Both managed six shots on target.

Both recorded 50 percent possession.

Both were caught offside twice.

Yet Al Fateh finished with three goals and Al Hazem with two.

Al Fateh Converted 50 Percent of Their Shots on Target

Three goals from six efforts on target represents a 50 percent conversion rate when measured against shots on target.

Al Hazem’s corresponding rate was approximately 33.3 percent.

Those figures describe the final scorekeeping outcome. They do not establish the quality of each opportunity or prove that one team consistently created clearer chances.

The difference nevertheless illustrates the importance of finishing during a match decided by one goal.

Ten Corners Against Three Suggest Different Patterns of Attacking Pressure

Al Fateh won 10 corners compared with Al Hazem’s three.

That disparity indicates considerably more corner-winning situations for the visitors despite their equal possession and shot totals.

It suggests Al Fateh repeatedly advanced into areas where the home defense had to turn the ball behind.

However, the available match graphic does not establish whether either late goal originated from a corner or another set-piece sequence.

It would therefore be misleading to attribute the comeback directly to set-piece superiority without the complete play-by-play record.

Al Hazem Committed Nearly Twice as Many Fouls

The hosts were penalized for 19 fouls compared with Al Fateh’s 10.

Both teams avoided red cards, with Al Hazem receiving one yellow card and Al Fateh two.

The foul count may warrant further tactical examination, particularly during the final minutes when Al Hazem were defending a narrow lead.

Without detailed incident records, though, it cannot independently establish why the hosts conceded twice.

The clearest verified explanation from the available match data remains the sequence of goals: Al Fateh stayed within one goal, equalized in the 88th minute and converted another opportunity in stoppage time.

Why Is This Al Fateh Victory So Important for the Saudi Pro League Table?

Al Fateh entered Matchweek 9 in 16th place, with three points from eight matches and no league victories.

Their record consisted of three draws and five defeats.

They had scored four goals while conceding 15, leaving a goal difference of minus 11.

Thursday’s result gives them their first win and raises their points total from three to six.

Al Fateh scored three goals on Thursday after managing four across their previous eight league matches combined.

That represents a substantial single-game improvement, although further results will be needed to establish whether their attacking consistency has genuinely changed.

The victory also follows a difficult sequence that included a 4-2 defeat against NEOM and a 4-0 home loss to Al Ahli.

The latter result featured Francisco Trincão’s two goals and was discussed in TSE’s assessment of the Saudi Pro League’s Matchweek 8 title and form picture.

Earlier, the club had been among several teams accumulating draws without securing victories, as documented in our Matchweek 5 examination of the division’s lower-table problems.

Six points do not remove the risk of another difficult season.

They do, however, give Al Fateh a much more useful foundation heading into the next round.

Al Hazem Have Now Lost Two Matches After Scoring Twice

For Al Hazem, the result exposed a particularly frustrating pattern.

This is the second time this season that the club have scored twice in a league match and still suffered a 3-2 defeat.

On August 24, Al Hazem lost 3-2 against Al Ittihad despite goals from Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi and Sofiane Bendebka.

Steven Bergwijn scored all three goals for Al Ittihad, including two penalties, to deny the visitors a result.

That contest was examined in TSE’s analysis of Bergwijn’s hat trick and Al Ittihad’s difficult victory.

Al Hazem have also demonstrated resilience against other opponents.

Their 1-0 victory over Al Taawoun showed their capacity to defend an early lead, while a 1-1 draw against NEOM on October 10 added another point to their total.

However, the defeat against Al Fateh leaves them on nine points from nine league matches.

The hosts had entered the game in 10th place, having recorded two victories, three draws and three defeats.

The loss changes that record to two victories, three draws and four defeats.

The defensive concern is difficult to ignore because Al Hazem have previously shown they can frustrate opponents for extended periods.

Against Al Ahli on September 11, they also scored first, through Ahmed Al Nakhli, before losing 3-1 after Francisco Trincão equalized and Ivan Toney scored twice.

Our report on Al Ahli’s comeback victory documented how quickly a promising Al Hazem position had deteriorated.

Thursday’s circumstances were different because Al Hazem protected their lead until the 88th minute.

Nevertheless, both matches demonstrate how damaging late or concentrated defensive lapses can be when a team has already done enough attacking work to compete.

What Does Al Fateh’s Comeback Reveal About Their Season?

The result offers evidence of a quality that had rarely produced tangible rewards during the opening weeks: the ability to respond repeatedly after conceding.

KEEP READING

Continue the Saudi Pro League Story

Saudi Pro LeagueSaudi Pro League: Retegui Recovers from Missed Penalty to Claim Top Spot as Al Qadsiah Hold Off Abha

Saudi Pro LeagueMendy’s Hat Trick Ends Al Faisaly’s Winless Start as Al Kholood Pay for Missed Penalty

Saudi Pro LeagueNúñez and Boulbina Turn Diriyah’s New-Look Attack Into a 2-1 Win Over Al Fateh

Al Fateh fell behind through Bendebka’s penalty.

Kanga equalized.

Al Duwaihi restored Al Hazem’s lead.

Abdulwahed equalized again, and Batna completed the comeback.

The sequence required attacking contributions from three different scorers and sustained competitive involvement until the final minutes.

That is encouraging for a team that had repeatedly failed to convert competitive spells into victories.

There are still reasons for caution.

Al Fateh conceded twice against opponents who entered the match with only eight goals from eight league games.

Their own defensive problems have therefore not disappeared.

The late goals do show that the team can maintain enough attacking threat to recover when a match seems close to slipping away.

Whether that becomes a repeatable strength will depend on upcoming performances rather than Thursday’s drama alone.

What Comes Next for Al Fateh and Al Hazem?

The next fixtures offer both clubs immediate tests of different kinds.

Al Fateh vs Al Khaleej: Can the Comeback Become Consecutive Victories?

Al Fateh are scheduled to host Al Khaleej on Sunday, October 18.

The short interval makes squad recovery and tactical preparation particularly important.

Al Khaleej have experienced their own difficulty converting competitive performances into victories this season.

Earlier in the campaign, their goalless draw with Al Riyadh highlighted persistent attacking limitations despite their ability to protect clean sheets.

For Al Fateh, the immediate objective is to demonstrate that the improved finishing shown in Ar Rass can be repeated.

The official Saudi Pro League Al Fateh club page lists the upcoming fixtures and provides the club’s season record.

Al Hilal vs Al Hazem: A Much More Demanding Test Awaits

Al Hazem face an especially difficult assignment when they travel to league leaders Al Hilal on Monday, October 19.

Al Hilal had collected 21 points from eight matches before the latest round, establishing themselves among the strongest teams in the early title race.

For Al Hazem, the challenge will be both tactical and psychological.

They must recover from surrendering a late lead against Al Fateh while preparing for opponents with significantly greater attacking resources.

Kadri’s team have already demonstrated that they can frustrate technically superior opponents.

But the closing minutes against Al Fateh underline how important it will be to maintain defensive concentration until the final whistle.

Thursday provided two very different lessons.

Al Fateh discovered that a match can still be won with only minutes remaining.

Al Hazem learned how quickly a seemingly secure advantage can disappear.

For Batna and his teammates, those final seven minutes delivered the first three-point return of a difficult season.

Al Hazem vs Al Fateh: Frequently Asked Questions

Who Won Al Hazem vs Al Fateh on October 15, 2026?

Al Fateh defeated Al Hazem 3-2 in Saudi Pro League Matchweek 9 at Al Hazem Club Stadium in Ar Rass.

Who Scored Al Fateh’s Winning Goal?

Mourad Batna scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, completing Al Fateh’s late comeback.

Who Scored All Five Goals?

Sofiane Bendebka and Abdulaziz Al Duwaihi scored for Al Hazem. Wilfried Kanga, Faisal Abdulwahed and Mourad Batna scored for Al Fateh.

Did Sofiane Bendebka Play for Al Fateh Before Joining Al Hazem?

Yes. Bendebka spent six seasons with Al Fateh, producing 47 goals and 23 assists, before joining Al Hazem in the summer of 2026.

Who Scored the Penalty in the First Half?

Sofiane Bendebka converted a 17th-minute penalty to give Al Hazem a 1-0 lead against his former club.

How Late Did Al Fateh Score Their Final Two Goals?

Faisal Abdulwahed equalized in the 88th minute before Mourad Batna scored the winning goal at 90+5.

Was This Al Fateh’s First Saudi Pro League Win of the Season?

Yes. Al Fateh entered the match with three draws and five defeats from eight league fixtures. The victory was their first of the 2026-27 campaign.

How Many Points Do Al Fateh Have After the Win?

Al Fateh have six points from nine matches following their 3-2 victory over Al Hazem.

Which Team Had More Possession and Shots?

Both teams had 50 percent possession, 12 total shots and six shots on target, according to the supplied full-time match display. Al Fateh won 10 corners compared with Al Hazem’s three.

Who Do Al Fateh and Al Hazem Play Next?

Al Fateh are scheduled to host Al Khaleej on October 18, while Al Hazem travel to face Al Hilal on October 19.