This is another special edition as the AFC Champions League Elite finalists had two fixtures to play for. We are already a little bit behind schedule so let’s get right into it and recap the key events of the latest round of the Roshn Saudi League together! (Please see the comments for the list of results.)
𝟏. 𝐌𝐚𝐧é 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
No Ronaldo no party, they say. Mané thinks otherwise: the Senegalese powerhouse had an incredible day against Al Okhdood in Najran as he scored four goals in the 0-9 trashing of the relegation-threatened hosts. As of today, he is the only player to score four goals on the same match this season – congratulations to Sadio!
𝟐. 𝐀𝐥 𝐈𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐨𝐮𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥
It was quite common this year that Al Ittihad secured all three points in the stoppage time. This time they did it once again, against fellow PIF-backed rivals Al Nassr, which was an incredible football match overall. Al Nassr took a two-goals’ lead, however, Al Ittihad slowly got back into the game and eventually turned around the fixture in the stoppage time thanks to Houssem Aouar’s late goal. If you missed this match then don’t forget to watch the highlights – you won’t regret it!
𝟑. 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐀𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐞𝐝
If we praise Mané for his five goals in two matches, we have to say a word of praise to the Green Falcons captain Salem Al Dawsari, too. Salem managed four goals in the latest two fixtures of Al Hilal, including a hat-trick against Al Raed. Credit should go to the seemingly already relegated hosts as they fought valiantly, scoring three times – all in vain, unfortunately for them, as the Blue Waves managed to score five goals in the end.
𝟒. 𝐀𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐛 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩
Carrasco is finally back in action and is getting sharper every match as he played a key role in the victory of the White Lions over Champions League winner Al Ahli. It’s good to see that this historic team is doing well under Fatih Terim and we are quite excited for the new season already once he further trims his squad. Similarly to Al Ittihad this season, they could benefit from the absence of international cup involvement as their rivals’ resources will be partially tied down with these duties. All in all, it looks likely that the good times are about to return to the fans of this wonderful team.
𝟓. 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐡𝐝𝐚
As for the bottom of the table, the most anticipated match was the one between Al Wehda and Al Fateh. A classic six pointer as victory for both sides was quintessential: the hosts could have moved out of the relegation zone while the visitors could have achieved safety from relegation. The Knights of Mecca prevailed as the advantage of home soil worked in their favour in a well fought victory. This also means that Al Fateh will have a nervy finish to the season as their remaining three fixtures include a home match against Al Hilal – surely not a great memory for the fans after their 0-9 trashing in Riyadh earlier this season –, a visit to Damac and hosting Al Nassr on the final day.
