Al Shabab and Abha triumph, points shared in Dammam

Abha edge out 10-man Al Wehda to boost survival hopes

Ziyad Al Sahafi scored the only goal of the game as Abha picked up a vital 1-0 over the 10 men of Al Wehda to give their survival hopes a major lift.

Al Wehda showed their attacking intent as early as the 11th minute at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Stadium. Right winger Abdulaziz Noor drilled a dangerous ball, which was bound for teammate Odion Ighalo. Abha defender Fahad Al Jumayah read the play perfectly to clear the ball back to Noor, who subsequently lashed the ball well over from a tight angle.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute, as club captain Waleed Bakhshween cynically pulled down Grzegorz Krychowiak when the Polish midfielder was bearing down on goal. The foul left the referee little choice but to hand out a red card.

Despite being a man down, the visitors did hit the post through Dutch winger Vito van Crooij. Ighalo gracefully flicked the ball into the path of his fellow attacker, who side-footed the ball through the legs of Abha goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu, but the upright was on hand to deny the side from Mecca a certain goal.

Minutes later, Abha made their numerical advantage count thanks to Al Sahafi. The Saudi Arabian midfielder received the ball just on the edge of the area and had time to settle himself before he drove a right-footed shot into the bottom corner. It was the perfect time to register his first goal for Abha.

With the first half coming to a close, the hosts should have doubled their advantage when striker Francois Kamano saw his effort from the edge of the box fly just past the post.

Al Wehda were a threat at set-pieces in the second half, and Costa Rican international defender Oscar Duarte had a flying header that crept just over the crossbar in the 51st minute. As the half progressed, it was clear Al Wehda had the upper hand despite being a man down.

Noor came close to levelling the contest just after the hour mark with a strike that flew inches past the post, while fellow forward Ighalo planted a header wide with only 15 minutes left in the contest from a Faycal Fajr free-kick .Abha held out the late onslaught to secure a vital three points for their survival aspirations.

The victory means Abha are two points away from safety. They take on 15th-placed Al Riyadh next weekend in a huge relegation showdown.

Al Khaleej and Al Okhdood split the points in Dammam

Al Khaleej and Al Okhdood shared the spoils in a four-goal thriller at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium.

It was the hosts who made a dream start by opening the scoring after only three minutes. Fabio Martins pushed down the left wing and delivered a perfect outside-of-the-boot pass to meet the run of Abdullah Al Salem, who turned in the ball at the near post. It marked the first goal of the Roshn Saudi League season for the Saudi attacker.

Al Okhdood soon crafted a chance of their own. Right-back Awadh Khamis provided a cross that found veteran Leandre Tawamba alone in the box, however, the Cameroonian's header was well pushed away by Al Khaleej goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic.

Just before the half hour, a moment of individual magic saw Al Khaleej double their advantage. Full-back Saeed Al Hamsal ventured up the pitch and evaded his opponents before unleashing an unstoppable 30-yard shot that arched into the top corner - an empathic way to open your 2023-24 RSL account.

Al Okhdood grabbed a lifeline minutes after the restart, as Al Salem pulled down Tawamba in the area. After a quick VAR review, the penalty was given, leaving Romanian Andrei Burca to display plenty of composure and confidently dispatch the spot-kick into the bottom corner.

Just five minutes later, the visitors found themselves level. Al Khaleej midfielder Khalid Al Samiri stayed on the ball a little too long in his own area, allowing Alex Collado to close down his attempted clearance, win the ball, and find the back of the net for his third RSL goal of the season.

Al Khaleej snapped back into life and looked for a winner in the closing stages. Goalscorer Al Salem could have easily had a second of the night had his header not flown over the bar, while in the 88th minute, slick passing play played in Mansour Hamzi, only for the winger's effort to come back off the post.

The drama didn't stop there, though, and Tawamba thought he had handed Al Okhdood all three points in the 95th minute as he calmly slotted home from a Saeed Al Rubaie knockdown. However, the goal was disallowed for offside.

As it is, Al Khaleej sit 11th in the table, with Al Okhdood remaining four points, and two spots, below them.

Diallo the difference as Al Shabab breeze past Al Hazem

Habib Diallo came up with a goal and an assist for Al Shabab to cruise to a 3-0 win against bottom side Al Hazem on Thursday evening.

The first half was a tepid affair at the Al Hazem Club Stadium, although Al Shabab did open the scoring just after the half hour thanks to the hard work of winger Vitinho.

Gustavo Cuellar pounced on a loose ball in midfield and played the ball to the Al Ettifaq loanee. After beating two defenders, the Brazilian drilled what seemed to be a cross into the area from a tight angle. Fortunately for Vitinho and Al Shabab, Al Hazem defender Bruno Viana turned the ball into his own net.

Neither side had a shot on target in the first half, and that lack of quality was evident as Al Hazem midfielder Ahmad Al Mhemaid’s header ballooned way over the bar deep into first-half stoppage time.

Star winter signing Ivan Rakitic and Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco were unavailable for Al Shabab through injury, and their creativity was sorely missed. However, in the 52nd minute, the Riyadh side put together a slick passing move that would have certainly impressed the duo.

After winning the ball in midfield, the visitors dutifully kept possession before defender Nader Al Sharari played a defence-splitting pass to Hussain Al Sibyani on the wing. The youngster then simply squared to Diallo, who slid in to round off a nine-pass move and put his side 2-0 up.

Indeed, Al Shabab perhaps should have gone 3-0 up in the closing stages of the evening when Diallo smashed a shot towards goal from a tight angle. Yet Al Hazem goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen was equal to the effort from the Senegal international striker.

Eventually, the hard work of Vítor Pereira’s side paid off, as they grabbed a third in the 95th minute. This time, goalscorer Diallo turned provider, supplying a deep cross for substitute Abdullah Radif to head home.

The result means Al Shabab stay 10th, while Al Hazem remain at the foot of the table on 15 points, eight points from safety.