Bento Under Fire Again as Al-Nassr Secures Win

Al‑Nassr walked away with three points against Abha. Bento did not walk away from the spotlight.

A 2-1 win in the sixth round of the Roshn League should have been routine for "Al‑Alami", another step in a long title chase. Instead, the talking point was their Brazilian goalkeeper and a mistake that has reopened an argument the club thought it had settled in the summer.

Fekir’s free kick, Bento’s nightmare

Al‑Nassr were in control, ahead and managing the game, when the tension flipped in the 75th minute.

Nabil Fekir stood over a direct free kick. The Frenchman did not need a spectacular top-corner effort; he produced a clever, deceptive strike that asked a question of Bento. The answer was alarming. The ball slipped past him and nestled in the net, leaving teammates and fans stunned by how easily it had gone in.

Abha celebrated a rare moment. Fekir’s goal was their first from a direct free kick in a Pro League match since Saad Baqir scored against Al‑Shabab back in October 2023. For them, it was a landmark. For Bento, it was another mark against his name.

Al‑Nassr still edged the game, but the mood around the result changed the moment that free kick crossed the line.

From isolated error to ongoing concern

Inside the stadium and online, the reaction was swift. For many Al‑Nassr supporters, this was not about one misjudged ball. It felt like the latest entry in a growing file.

Since joining in the summer of 2024, Bento has faced scrutiny for a series of errors that have chipped away at the sense of security a title-chasing side needs from its goalkeeper. Each slip, each soft goal, has revived the same question: is he really the man to guard the posts for a team with ambitions on every front?

The Abha goal poured fuel on that debate. On "X", criticism escalated within minutes. Some fans pinned the responsibility for Fekir’s strike squarely on Bento and demanded a change. The calls were clear: rest the Brazilian, move him to the bench, and restore Saudi goalkeeper Nawaf Al‑Aqidi as the starter.

Al‑Aqidi waiting in the wings

Those demands are not just noise from the stands. They come with a very real alternative attached.

Nawaf Al‑Aqidi has already convinced Ange Postecoglou he can be trusted. The Australian coach has started him in more than one match recently, even with Bento available. That choice alone tells its own story: the competition for the No.1 shirt is alive, and it is not tilted entirely in the Brazilian’s favour.

So the issue has shifted. This is no longer about a single free kick or an off night. It is about long-term confidence in a position where nerves spread quickly through a team.

Al‑Nassr are still winning. The table looks healthy. But repeated individual errors from the last line of defence can turn from an annoyance in early rounds into a fatal flaw when the pressure spikes and the opponents get stronger.

A response or a reshuffle?

For now, Bento still holds something crucial: the chance to respond on the pitch.

He can steady himself, cut out the mistakes and prove that one more bad moment does not define his time at Al‑Nassr. That is the only argument that truly counts in this kind of debate.

But the weight on his shoulders has grown heavier since Fekir’s free kick slipped past him. With a domestic goalkeeper in Al‑Aqidi already trusted by the coach and waiting for his moment, how many more missteps can Bento afford before the gloves change hands for good?