Al-Nassr's Goalkeeping Dilemma: Bento Under Fire After Abha Win

Al-Nassr’s narrow win over Abha should have been routine. Instead, it dragged their goalkeeping debate back into the spotlight.

The Roshn League title contenders scraped a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night in the sixth round, but all the noise afterwards circled around one man: Bento.

One free kick, one storm

Al-Nassr were in control, managing their lead and edging towards the finish line when the game flipped in the 75th minute.

Abha won a direct free kick. Up stepped Nabil Fekir.

The Frenchman did not unleash a thunderbolt. He shaped a clever, deceptive strike that asked a question of the goalkeeper more than the frame of the goal. Bento misread it badly. The ball slid past him and into the net, leaving team-mates and fans stunned at how simply Abha had been allowed back into the contest.

It was a goal that carried its own piece of history for Abha: their first from a direct free kick in the Pro League since Saad Baqir scored against Al-Shabab in October 2023. For them, it was a landmark. For Bento, it was another mark against his name.

Errors piling up

Inside Al-Nassr circles, the concern is no longer about a single mistake on a single night.

Since arriving in the summer of 2024, Bento has lived under a microscope. Each slip, each misjudgment, has chipped away at the faith some supporters hoped to place in the Brazilian as the long-term guardian of a team built to chase trophies, not excuses.

The Fekir free kick felt like a tipping point. Al-Nassr still won, but the win did not protect their goalkeeper from scrutiny. It intensified it.

Backlash online, questions in the stands

The reaction was immediate.

On “X”, criticism of Bento surged. Posts and threads lined up to pin responsibility for Abha’s goal on him. Many fans went further, demanding he be taken out of the firing line altogether. The calls were clear: rest Bento, return Nawaf Al-Aqidi to the starting XI.

Those shouts are not coming from nowhere. Al-Aqidi has already been trusted by Ange Postecoglou in recent weeks, starting several matches even with Bento available. The Australian coach has treated the position as an open contest, not a closed shop.

That context makes every error feel heavier. Every soft goal strengthens the case of the man on the bench.

A fragile position in a ruthless team

For a side like Al-Nassr, the margins at the back are unforgiving.

The club can keep grinding out wins in the early rounds, but repeated individual mistakes from the last line of defence threaten to become a structural issue once the season hardens and the opposition improves. A title challenger can carry a misfiring forward for a while. It cannot carry an unconvincing goalkeeper for long.

This is no longer about one free kick against Abha. It is about whether the dressing room and the stands truly trust Bento when the knockout stages arrive, when one lapse can end a campaign.

Bento’s response – or Al-Aqidi’s moment?

The Brazilian still holds the gloves. For now.

He has the chance to answer the doubts in the only place that matters: on the pitch. A strong run of performances could quieten the noise, steady the narrative and reframe Fekir’s goal as a painful lesson rather than a defining symbol.

But the pressure has tightened since that 75th minute in Abha. Behind him, a domestic goalkeeper in Nawaf Al-Aqidi is ready, waiting, and already proven in the eyes of his coach.

Al-Nassr may have escaped with three points. Bento will not escape the next decision.