Saudi League: How It Looks After Game 9 As Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, Benzema’s Ittihad Drop Points

• Al-Nassr's remarkable 10-game winning streak across all competitions came to a halt with a 2-2 draw against Abha
• Meanwhile, Karim Benzema's Al-Ittihad suffered a defeat in the highly anticipated Jeddah Derby against Al Ahli
• Here's a recap of how matchday nine unfolded as we enter the October international break

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr side saw their 10-game winning run come to an end with a disappointing draw at home.

Elsewhere, Neymar Jr. was not missed as Al-Hilal managed to consolidate their position at the apex of the league in the absence of their star man.

Sports Brief provides an overview of the outcomes from match day nine in the Saudi Pro League as the October international break approaches.

Recap of match day nine results

As the 2023-24 season kicked off, much attention was focused on the top four teams: Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli.

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However, A- Taawoun, based in Buraidah, have emerged as the surprise package of the season, competing with the Saudi top division's elite.

Under the guidance of Péricles Chamusca, Al-Taawoun delivered an impressive performance, securing a convincing three-nil victory against Al-Tai, Arab News reports.

Unfortunately, Al-Nassr failed to match the performance of Taawoun, with their defence struggling to correspond with their star-studded attack. They squandered a two-nil lead and settled for a draw against Abha, who had been on a four-game losing streak before game week nine, per Daily Sports.

According to National News, in a high-stakes showdown in Jeddah, former AC Milan and Barcelona midfielder, Franck Kessie played a pivotal role in Al-Ittihad's clash with Al-Ahli, securing a one-nil victory and bragging rights for the latter.

The 18-time champions, Al-Hilal, dominated against Al-Akhdoud, notching three goals, with Serbian duo Aleksander Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both finding the net, even in the absence of star player Neymar, who missed the game due to the birth of his child.

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On the other hand, Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq saw their five-game unbeaten streak come to an end against Al-Fateh.

Former Olympique Lyon striker, Moussa Dembele opened the scoring for the home side, but Fateh mounted a late comeback, with Lucas Zelarayan and Djaniny turning the game in favour of the visitors.

Saudi League standings

Al-Hilal reinforced their position at the top of the league standings with a convincing victory on match day nine, further solidifying their lead as they head into the international break. The Blue Waves have accumulated an impressive 23 points out of a possible 27.

Al-Taawoun, on the other hand, climbed up one spot to secure the second position, trailing Hilal by just a single point after completing nine rounds of matches.

Surprisingly, despite having the top goal scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, in their ranks, Al-Nassr find themselves in third place with 19 points.

Defending champions Al-Ittihad rounded up the top four, but their descent from the summit continued into match day nine. Nevertheless, they share the same point total as the Knights of Najd.

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Abha, thanks to their unexpected draw with Al-Nassr, managed to escape the relegation zone and now sit in 15th place with a modest seven points after nine games.

Following a humbling 3-0 defeat, Al-Tai dropped into the relegation zone, occupying 16th place with seven points.

Meanwhile, the bottom two positions remain unchanged, with Al-Raed and Al-Hazem firmly entrenched in the 17th and 18th spots, respectively.