Saudi Pro League Week 24: Ronaldo Reaches 50 Goals As Al Hilal Extends Record
Global eyes are on the Saudi Pro League like never before after its clubs welcomed a host of star-studded new arrivals to the Kingdom over the past year. Each week, Al Arabiya English will round-up the key storylines as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar and Co do battle for the 2023-24 title.
Matchday 24 saw Al Hilal narrowly extend its world-record winning run against doughty Damac, while Al Nassr recorded a morale-boosting winner against rivals for the Saudi Pro League runners-up spot Al Ahli, and Al Ittihad put the disappointment of a midweek AFC Champions League exit behind it ahead of the upcoming international break.
Al Hilal streak continues… just
The last time Al Hilal failed to win a match in any competition was way back in September when Damac held the Riyadh giant to a 1-1 draw. Since then Jorge Jesus’ side has swept all before it and stands on the brink of a remarkable treble, breaking the world record for successive victories in the process – the 2-0 AFC Champions League triumph over Al Ittihad on Wednesday its 28th in a row.
Until the dying embers of Saturday’s Saudi Pro League rematch, it seemed as though the run would end as it had started, against Damac. The team from Khamis Mushait had pegged back its hosts thanks to Damagoj Antolic’s 86th-minute goal, the Croatian midfielder equalizing after Salem al-Dawsari’s had fired Al Hilal head just seven minutes earlier with a left-foot strike from Aleksandar Mitrovic’s smart knock-down.
But things quickly unraveled for Damac as left-back Dhari al-Anzi was shown a straight red card for dragging his studs down the calf of Michael and then, in stoppage time, Nasser al-Dawsari’s inviting left-wing cross was met by a powerful header from Brazilian Malcom to send the Al Hilal fans wild and ensure the winning record was extended to 29 matches and its lead at the top of the table remained 12 points.
Ronaldo spot on again
It has been a rough couple of weeks for Al Nassr after losing further ground on Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League title race and suffering an agonizing midweek elimination from the AFC Champions League, courtesy of a cruel penalty shootout defeat to UAE side Al Ain. Captain Cristiano Ronaldo did his best to carry Al Nassr through, converting a penalty in extra-time and the shootout, but it was not enough.
There are few players in the world better than Ronaldo from 12 yards out and he showed it again on Friday night against an Al Ahli team that had been threatening to reel in Al Nassr with its results in recent weeks. It was an electric atmosphere at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah with 52,000 fans in attendance but, in front of a baying home crowd, Ronaldo smashed the ball past former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to snatch the game’s only goal.
Both Ronaldo and Roberto Firmino had previously had the ball in the back of the net, only for VAR to disallow the strikes for offside and a foul in the build-up respectively. Al Nassr dominated possession but in truth it was a game of very few chances as Luis Castro’s side tightened its grip on second place, extending its lead over third-placed Al Ahli to nine points.
Al Nassr’s sole shot on target was Ronaldo’s well-taken penalty. It was the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s 50th goal for the club, achieved in just 58 games since his arrival in Riyadh last summer. Ronaldo remains on top of the Saudi Pro League scoring charts with 23 goals in 22 matches this season and there is no question that the 39-year-old is still Al Nassr’s most valuable commodity on and off the pitch.
Al Ittihad bounces back
The Jeddah heavyweight may be moving closer to mathematically surrendering its Saudi Pro League title, but coach Marcello Gallardo is keeping Al Ittihad fighting for AFC Champions League qualification, while a King’s Cup semi-final against Al Hilal next month offers the perfect opportunity to prevent its biggest rivals from claiming a treble trophy haul.
It would have been easy for Ittihad to wallow after a comprehensive 4-0 aggregate defeat to Al Hilal knocked Gallardo’s side out of continental competition this week, but instead the team responded with a four-goal haul of its own.
Salem al-Najdi’s header handed hosts Al Fateh the lead after just six minutes but Al Ittihad was ahead by half-time. Last season’s Saudi Pro League top scorer Abderrazak Hamdallah converted from the penalty spot on 39 minutes after Jota was fouled in the box, before the Portuguese forward got on the scoresheet himself in first-half stoppage time, sweeping home a left-foot shot.
The pick of the game’s goals was Ahmed al-Ghamdi’s beautifully curled effort to extend Al Ittihad’s advantage and though Saad al-Sharfa kept Al Fateh within touching distance at 3-2, a second for Abderrazak – who is now third in the 2023-24 scorers’ list with 17 goals – put the match to bed. Al Ittihad is now fourth, three points ahead of Al Taawoun and just four behind Al Ahli.
Best of the rest
Beyond invincible Al Hilal, it is Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq that has been one of the Saudi Pro League’s most in-form teams of late. Seemingly rejuvenated by the winter break, Al Ettifaq’s only defeat since the league’s resumption in February was to the league leaders but they were held to a disappointing draw at Al Tai on Saturday. Karl Toko Ekambi’s goal had opened the scoring for Al Ettifaq but Virgil Misidjan’s goal bagged a valuable point that helped the hosts move above Abha, while Gerrard’s team also climbed a place to sixth.
Abha may have been leapfrogged but it was still celebrating this weekend after an important 1-0 victory over 10-man Al Wehda helped keep the team firmly in contention for Saudi Pro League survival. Coach Pitso Mosimane has breathed life back into Abha’s season with two wins and a draw since arriving in January and Ziyad al-Sahafi’s sole strike moved the club six points clear of bottom Al Hazem, which now looks in danger of being cut adrift.
Each week it seems there are massive matches in the battle to stay in the Saudi top-flight and the pick of those after the international break is Abha’s trip to 15th-placed Al Riyadh, in which victory for the visitors would move Mosimane’s side level with its opponent.
