Ghanaian midfielder Bernard Mensah showcased a stellar performance on Friday, playing a pivotal role in Al-Tai’s remarkable comeback against Al-Raed in the Saudi Pro League. The thrilling match concluded with a 4-3 victory for Al-Tai, who had initially trailed 2-0 after 30 minutes.
Mensah’s outstanding contribution included a brace and an assist, directly influencing three of Al-Tai’s four goals at Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa’ed Stadium. Despite a challenging start, Mensah’s efforts turned the tide in favour of Al-Tai.
In the 12th minute, Al-Raed took the lead with a goal from Júlio Tavares, followed by another from Yahya Sunbul in the 27th minute. Undeterred, Al-Tai fought back, with Mensah scoring from the penalty spot in the 45th minute and narrowly missing another goal due to an offside ruling in the 60th minute.
Karim El Berkaoui extended Al-Raed’s lead to 3-1, seemingly securing the win. However, Al-Tai staged a late comeback, initiated by Abdullah Al-Fahad’s own goal. Mensah sealed his brace with a stoppage-time penalty and contributed to Dutch international Virgil Misidjan’s winning goal in the 100th minute.
Mensah’s season statistics now boast 8 goals and 1 assist. While his goal tally is impressive, it falls short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 15 goals, who has also provided 7 assists. Notably, Mensah shares the same goal count as Karim Benzema and Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca.