The season is over. Any consolation? Hell yes, we had a fantastic last round packed with action β letβs recap the key events of round 34 and the end result of this season together!
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The internet went wild with the cryptic message of Ronaldo: βThis chapter is over. The story? Still being written.β Weβre still guessing how the story is going to be written but one thing is sure: he already made his mark in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He scored a record number of goals last season and β while he wasnβt able to break his own record β he maintained his top scorer title this season, too. Not to mention the influx of star players, the catalyst of which was none other than his arrival in Riyadh.
Whatever you decide, we thank you Cristiano. We hope to see you in the Roshn Saudi League next year, too!
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Speaking about Ronaldo and his team, while the Portuguese legend had a wonderful season on personal level, the same cannot be said about his team. Clearly, Ronaldo wasnβt the problem, instead, the problems started when he was missing a game due to injury. And the season could have ended with a big disappointment as β in an anyway very entertaining encounter β against Al Fateh they lost. The hosts came from behind to stun Ronaldo and co, however, local rivals Al Hilal made them a favour to beat Al Qadsiah. Thanks to this deed, Al Nassr narrowly qualified for the AFC Champions League Two next season.
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Heading into the last round, it was never going to be easy for Al Orobah as they needed to win, while their rivals, Al Wehda and Al Okhdood, needed to lose for Al Orobah to stay up. Still, all these conditions were met right at the end of their match as Al Wehda lost, albeit this miracle only lasted for some minutes.
The reason for that to change was Al Okhdood, who did it once again to beat the odds and stay up, breaking the hearts of Al Somah and co. They levelled late thanks to local boy Al Abbas, who scored after entering the fray from the bench. By this point, they already stayed up with this draw as Al Wehda lost against Al Ettifaq in the meantime, but they made their celebration much sweeter with a very late penalty goal, completing a sensational victory coming from 0-2 behind against Al Khaleej.
We wish all the best for Al Wehda and Al Orobah in the second tier of Saudi football, and congratulate to Al Okhdood for their heroic comeback. Surely, the fans in Najran hope that next season will finally be less nerve-racking.
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Out of the three promoted teams only Al Orobah relegated. While the fans in Sakakah are disappointed for a good reason, the fans in Khobar and Ar Rass can be overjoyed: not only that their teams survived their first season in the Roshn Saudi League, but they did that in a fashionable way.
Al Qadsiah, finishing 4th, were involved in the fight for a spot on the podium until the very end of the season. Furthermore, they were the team with the strongest defence: they conceded the least number of goals, namely 31.
While Al Kholood were on the wrong end of the table for the majority of the season, this changed when it matters the most: at the end of the season. Maolida and co finished at the top half of the table, achieving an impressive 9th position during the first ever season of the team in the Saudi Pro League.
Congratulations to both Al Qadsiah and Al Kholood β well done!
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Out of the three promoted teams two are now certain: NEOM and Al Najmah. Both of them will have their first ever season next year, we wish them good luck for that! (The third spot is still up for grabs in the playoffs.)
NEOM is the project of the Public Investment Fund, which is also behind Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Nassr. Accordingly, their promotion means that the number of PIF-backed teams increase from 4 to 5. The end result is likely going to be a much fiercer competition next year as likely the objective for NEOM will exceed mere survival.
The arrival of Al Najmah means that the Qassim region gets another representative from Unaizah. Accordingly, the number of teams representing this lovely area remain three despite the relegation Al Raed.
