Saudi League: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Drop Points, Pitso Mosimane Secures 1st Win With Abha

Al-Hilal strengthened their grip at the summit of the Saudi Pro League and moved closer to clinching a record-extending 19th title by securing a vital victory in the Saudi El Clasico against Al-Ittihad.

Meanwhile, their closest rivals and Riyadh counterparts, Al-Nassr, surprisingly dropped points at home to the lower-ranked Al Hazem in the absence of their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Ronaldo and his teammates may lament their missed opportunity against Hazem, Pitso Mosimane's Abha Club celebrated a rare triumph, bringing smiles to their faces as they secured a win.

Sports Brief provides a recap of the results from matchday 22 and analyses the implications on the league standings, with just 12 games remaining in what has already proven to be an intriguing 2023/24 campaign.

Recap of SPL matchday 22 results

Starting from Buraidah, Zambian forward, Fashion Sakala, ignited Al-Fayha to their second consecutive victory in the SPL, propelling them to a 2-1 away win against Al Raed with his decisive 76th-minute goal.

In Mecca, a thrilling encounter unfolded, culminating in a 3-3 draw between Al Wehda and Al Taawoun at the King Abdul Aziz Stadium, highlighted by former Manchester United striker, Odion Ighalo's brace.

Meanwhile, Al-Nassr's clash with Al Hazem at home provided a classic showdown, resulting in a pulsating, topsy-turvy eight-goal thriller, as cited by Daily Sports.

Despite Anderson Talisca's remarkable hat-trick, the Knights of Najd failed to overcome the bottom-placed club, settling for a 4-4 draw against the backdrop of Ronaldo's suspension.

In the first league fixture of the month, Pitso Mosimane secured his inaugural victory as Abha Club manager, orchestrating a commendable 2-0 win against Al-Taee, GOAL reports.

How Saudi League table looks like as Ronaldo scores, Mosimane plays his first game as Abha boss

Football

Veteran Polish midfielder, Grzegorz Krychowiak, extended his goal-scoring streak with a brace, propelling the home side to their first victory since November 4, 2023.

In the highly anticipated Saudi El Clasico, Al-Hilal, the table-toppers, staged a remarkable comeback from a goal down to defeat defending champions, Al-Ittihad.

In the absence of leading marksman, Aleksandar Mitrovic, goals from Saleh Al-Shehri, Malcom, and Saud Abdulhamid secured a 3-1 victory, with N'Golo Kante's second goal of the season serving as a consolation for Al-Ittihad.

Elsewhere, Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq returned to the win column with a convincing 2-0 victory inspired by former Premier League stars, Moussa Dembele and Demarai Gray, furthering their ascent in the league standings, per SPL.

However, Ivan Rakitic's third appearance for Al-Shabab ended in a frustrating draw with Al-Khaleej, while Al-Ahli, the Jeddah-based giants, disappointingly shared the points at home against Al-Fateh.

Former Newcastle United winger, Allan Saint-Maximin, salvaged a draw for the Royals after Christian Tello, formerly of Barcelona, opened the scoring for the visitors.

Saudi League standings

After extending their unbeaten streak, the Blue Waves have widened their lead at the top of the SPL to nine points, amassing an impressive 62 points from 22 games.

While Jorge Jesus' side has demonstrated potency in attack, they have also been solid defensively, conceding only 11 goals all season.

On the other hand, the mood is sombre at the Yellow half of Riyadh, as Al-Nassr could find themselves finishing as runners-up for the second consecutive season after their draw with Al Hazem.

With 53 points accumulated, they face an uphill battle to overthrow Al-Hilal at the summit with 12 games left.

It's evident that Riyadh-based teams are in a league of their own, with Al-Ahli trailing in a distant third place with 44 points.

Al Taawoun closely follows with 39 points in fourth place. Defending champions, Al-Ittihad, occupy the fifth spot with 37 points, six points ahead of Damac, who are on 31 points.

Interestingly, Damac shares the same point tally with two other clubs, Al-Fateh and Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq, in seventh and eighth positions, respectively.

Meanwhile, Al Hazem remains rooted at the bottom of the standings despite their commendable draw against Ronaldo's Al-Nassr. Mosimane's Abha Club occupies 17th place with 18 points, the same as Al Taee in 16th position.

Why Ronaldo missed matcday 22

Sports Brief also reported that Al-Nassr skipper, Cristiano Ronaldo, faced disciplinary action in the form of a one-game suspension and a fine of 10,000 Riyals ($2,666) for an inappropriate gesture during the SPL match versus Al-Shabab.

The 39-year-old Portuguese star drew attention for the wrong reasons, responding with a crude gesture after opposition fans taunted him with chants of Lionel Messi's name. Consequently, he was sidelined for the Al Hazem fixture.