RIYADH: The second day of round 22 in the Saudi Pro League delivered plenty of drama, beginning with a seven-goal thriller as Al-Ahli cruised to a 5-2 victory over Al-Shabab.
That result was followed by a comfortable 2-0 win for Al-Hilal against Al-Ettifaq, before Al-Ittihad edged past Al-Fayha 2-1 to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Al-Nassr.
In the opening match, Al-Shabab found themselves 3-0 down inside 26 minutes at a packed SHG Stadium in Riyadh. Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring in the sixth minute, delivering a free-kick from the edge of the box that was finished by Rayan Hamed after a scramble in the area.
Mahrez continued to torment the Al-Shabab defense, flicking a ball over the back line for Franck Kessie to latch onto in the 20th minute before finishing past Marcelo Grohe.
The Algerian then got on the scoresheet himself six minutes later, meeting a low cross from Zakaria Hawsawi to make it 3-0.
Al-Shabab pulled one back in the 33rd minute when a Yannick Carrasco free-kick found its way past Edouard Mendy. The momentum barely lasted a minute, however, as a defensive error allowed Ivan Toney to win possession in the box before laying it off to Enzo Millot, who restored Al-Ahli’s three-goal cushion.
The first-half drama was not over. Hussein Al-Sibyani was brought down in the box just before the break and Carrasco converted from the spot, sending Mendy the wrong way to reduce the deficit.
After a frenetic opening half, the tempo slowed following the restart. Grohe made two important saves to keep Al-Shabab in contention, but the hosts were unable to mount a comeback.
Toney sealed the victory in the 83rd minute from the penalty spot, becoming the first player to reach the 20-goal mark in the Saudi Pro League this season.
Less than 30 minutes away at Kingdom Arena, Al-Hilal welcomed Al-Ettifaq.
The visitors — who have proven difficult to break down this season, holding Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli to draws and beating Al-Ittihad in Jeddah — set up in a deep defensive shape.
Their 6-3-1 formation was not enough to contain former Al-Ettifaq midfielder Mohammed Kanno, who delivered a commanding display. A corner from Malcom was met by a towering header from the Saudi international in the 13th minute to give Al-Hilal the lead.
Kanno nearly doubled the advantage five minutes later, only for Marek Rodak to produce a crucial save. With Karim Benzema making his first home appearance, Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari were afforded greater freedom across the final third.
That approach paid off in the 31st minute when Al-Dawsari doubled the lead. A clever run from Malcom was spotted by Kanno, whose perfectly weighted through ball led to a cross that Rodak could only parry into the path of Al-Dawsari, who finished for his seventh goal of the season.
Al-Hilal slowed the tempo after the break as Al-Ettifaq grew into the game, registering nine shots in the second half compared to just one before the interval. It was not enough, however, to prevent the league leaders from temporarily extending their advantage at the top to three points, pending Al-Nassr’s clash with Al-Fateh on Saturday.
The final fixture of the day took place in Jeddah, where Al-Ittihad hosted Al-Fayha. Known for troubling the league’s top sides, Al-Fayha posed an early test, but Youssef En-Nesyri eased concerns by scoring his first Saudi Pro League goal from a corner in the 35th minute.
Al-Fayha responded in the 55th minute when Yassine Benzia delivered a cross to the far post for the unmarked Fashion Sakala, who headed past Predrag Rajkovic to level the score.
With momentum building, Al-Ittihad pressed forward and found the winner in the 83rd minute. Left-back Hassan Kadesh capitalised on a weak clearance from the Al-Fayha defence to send the home supporters into celebration.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Saturday, with Al-Riyadh facing Al-Khaleej, Al-Najma hosting Al-Kholood, before Al-Fateh host Al-Nassr in a fixture expected to mark Cristiano Ronaldo’s return after missing two league matches.
