A 23-day interruption to the domestic calendar — caused by the national side’s involvement at the 2025 Arab Cup — ended on Thursday, with the Saudi Pro League resuming in unpredictable fashion. What initially felt like a tame restart, especially after Al-Fayha and Al-Hazem produced a scoreless tie earlier, suddenly came alive. Four goals were registered beyond the 89th minute in matches around the division, radically changing the narrative of the evening.
A 23-day interruption to the domestic calendar — caused by the national side’s involvement at the 2025 Arab Cup — ended on Thursday, with the Saudi Pro League resuming in unpredictable fashion. What initially felt like a tame restart, especially after Al-Fayha and Al-Hazem produced a scoreless tie earlier, suddenly came alive. Four goals were registered beyond the 89th minute in matches around the division, radically changing the narrative of the evening.
In the capital, Al-Ettifaq made the trip to confront Al-Riyadh and came away with a 2-0 result that pushed them upward in the standings. Guided by Steven Gerrard’s squad, they aimed to reinforce their upper mid-table ambitions but encountered determined resistance from a side fighting to escape the lower reaches of the table. Moussa Dembele, who previously found the net twice in his preceding appearance, could not repeat that strike rate despite consistent involvement in the final third.
Possession control favored Al-Ettifaq, yet progress was repeatedly halted by Milan Borjan’s sharp reactions between the posts. The Canadian shot-stopper delivered six important interventions, delaying a breakthrough. Matters deteriorated for Al-Riyadh when Mohammed Al-Khaibari was sent off for denying a potential goal-scoring sequence, forcing the hosts into a deep defensive shell for much of the second period.
Only in added time did the encounter swing decisively. Francisco Calvo broke the deadlock before Georginio Wijnaldum added another in the closing seconds, securing a dramatic triumph. Those points elevate Al-Ettifaq to seventh place with 15 points from 10 fixtures, sitting as near neighbors to Brendan Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah.
Just above them is Neom, holding sixth position, who preserved a narrow advantage with a 2-1 home win against Al-Najma. The contest showcased two recently promoted outfits, one establishing an early presence in the top half and the other entrenched near the bottom. Nathan Zeze marked his first goal for Neom shortly after the interval, nudging the hosts toward comfort.
As the match reached its final stages, Khalifah Al-Dawsari expanded the cushion in the 89th minute, appearing to settle matters. But stoppage time delivered tension: Al-Najma earned a spot kick in the fifth added minute, which Bilal Boutobba converted to reduce the deficit and spark hope among the visitors.
A potentially game-changing moment arrived soon after. With Saudi icon Salman Al-Faraj making his first appearance in more than 13 months, Al-Najma believed an equalizer had arrived when Faisal Al-Mutairi steered home. Their celebrations were cut short by an offside call, sealing their ninth setback of the campaign and leaving Neom two points ahead of Al-Ettifaq in the standings.
