Saudi League: How It Looks After 8 Games As Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Push Into Top Four

• Cristiano Ronaldo fired Al-Nassr to their sixth successive win in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season
• But it was Neymar's Al-Hilal that had the last laugh of the match week, moving to the top of the league standings
• Sports Brief takes a look at the results from match day eight as the race for the Saudi League crown continues

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr secured a spot in the top four for the first time this season after a hard-fought victory against Al-Tai.

Meanwhile, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad exchanged positions, with the former taking the lead at the top of the table.

Here's a glimpse of the Saudi Pro League table after match week eight:

Results from game eight

Defending champions Al-Ittihad sorely missed talisman Karim Benzema as they played out a goalless draw against a determined Al-Feiha side on Friday, September 29.

Ronaldo's Al-Nassr remain 6th, Neymar and Al-Hilal on top after match week 6 in Saudi

Football

Meanwhile, the surprise package, Al-Taawon, continued their impressive start to the season, keeping pace with the league's top teams. Péricles Chamusca's squad secured a 3-1 victory on the road against Al-Hazem.

At the Prince Abdul Aziz bin Musa'ed Stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo came through for Al-Nassr, scoring an 87th-minute penalty to secure a hard-fought 2-1 win against Al-Tai after Virgil Misidjan had cancelled out Anderson Talisca's earlier strike, per Sporting News.

While Ronaldo shone for Al-Nassr, Neymar endured a sub-par performance, missing a penalty despite bagging an assist in Al-Hilal's 2-0 victory against Al-Shabab, according to Samba Foot.

In Al-Hasa, former FC Barcelona star Cristian Tello joined the hat-trick club, scoring three goals as Al Fateh came from behind to defeat Al Wehda 5-1.

In the most significant fixture of the match week, Al-Ahli and Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq couldn't be separated, playing out an exciting 0-0 draw on Saturday, September 30, Arab News reports.

Ronaldo fires blank on Asian Champions League debut but Al Nassr pick win

Football

Al Riyadh climbed out of the relegation zone with a narrow 1-0 victory against fellow strugglers Abha at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.

How the SPL table looks

There was a notable shift at the top of the league table as Al-Hilal overtook their Clasico rivals, Al-Ittihad, to claim the summit following their 2-0 victory against Al-Shabab, bringing their points total to 20.

Conversely, Ittihad's drop from first to second place, with a total of 19 points, was a result of their disappointing draw with Al-Feiha.

Al-Taawon continued to keep pace with the frontrunners, matching Al-Ittihad's point tally of 19, while Al-Nassr secured a spot in the top four after booking their sixth consecutive victory in the SPL, amassing 18 points in the process.

The intense draw between Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ahli had no significant impact on their league positions, with both teams holding 17 and 16 points in the fifth and sixth spots, respectively.

Sadio Mane Speaks on Al Nassr's Clash With Al Ahli After Asian Champions League Win Over Persepolis

Football

Newly promoted side Al-Hazem remained the favourites for relegation as they lingered at the bottom of the standings with a meagre three points from eight matches.

Al Raed slid down to 17th position after suffering their fourth consecutive defeat of the season, while Abha occupied the position directly above Raed with six points.

The most notable gainers from match week eight were Al Riyadh, who climbed two places to 15th position after securing their first win in seven games across all competitions.