SPL Week 27: Al Ittihad goes 7 points clear as Ronaldo inspires Al Nassr comeback

Al Arabiya

13-04-2025

The Saudi Pro League is now home to some of football's most recognizable names, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang putting the competition on the global football map. Each week, Al Arabiya English brings you the key storylines and highlights in the race for the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League title.
In Week 27, Al Ittihad beat Al Orobah to extend its lead at the top of the table to seven points as chief rival Al Hilal could only manage a 1-1 draw with Al Ettifaq. Elsewhere, Al Nassr closed in on second-placed Al Hilal thanks to a come-from-behind victory over Al Riyadh, while Al Ahli returned to winning ways and Al Qadsiah fell to a surprising defeat.
Al Ittihad moves seven points clear
After drawing four of its past five games, Al Ittihad's Saudi Pro League title challenge was put back on track thanks to a 2-0 win over Al Orobah. There have been many nervy moments for the champion-elect in recent weeks but it produced a professional display in Jeddah as late goals in each half – from Unai Hernandez and Abdulrahman Alobud – gave Al Ittihad a deserved victory. After fighting back twice to draw with Al Ahli in last week's Jeddah derby, Laurent Blanc's side had a slightly more serene evening on Thursday.
Al Ittihad was initially frustrated, however, as Al Orobah's Belgium goalkeeper Gaëtan Coucke produced a virtuoso individual display – twice thwarting Karim Benzema, while also denying Danilo and Abdulelah al-Amri with a series of impressive saves. Coucke's heroics deserved a half-time clean sheet but in the seventh minute of stoppage time, ex-Barcelona midfielder Hernandez struck an unstoppable effort into the roof of the Al Orobah net from 25 yards out. It was a stunning way for the 20-year-old to score his first goal for Al Ittihad.
Coucke continued his strong evening with superb saves from Houssem Aouar and Saleh al-Shehri after the interval but in the 88th minute, Saudi midfielder Alobud put the result beyond doubt as he finished at the second time of asking after Al Orobah's keeper blocked his initial effort. The 2-0 victory at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium saw Al Ittihad extend its lead over second-placed Al Hilal to seven points – after its chief title rival was held to a 1-1 draw at Al Ettifaq.
Al Hilal held by Al Ettifaq
Al Hilal faltered again as the reigning champion's Saudi Pro League title seems to be slipping further from its grasp. Jorge Jesus' side only failed to win three games in the entirety of last season's unbeaten title triumph but Friday night's 1-1 draw with Al Ettifaq was the ninth time in 2024-25 that it has dropped points – leaving Al Hilal seven points behind Al Ittihad and with a mountain to climb if it is to retain the championship.
Having suffered a derby defeat to Riyadh rival Al Nassr last week, Al Hilal was looking to immediately bounce back. But it faced a stubborn Al Ettifaq side that has enjoyed a resurgence since Saad al-Shehri replaced Steven Gerrard as coach back in January. Al Ettifaq took the lead right on the stroke of half-time when tricky playmaker Alvaro Medran was fouled on the edge of the box. The subsequent free-kick fell to João Costa 30 yards from goal and the Portugal U20 winger hit a speculative left-foot effort from distance that thundered past Al Hilal goalkeeper Bono into the bottom corner of the goal.
Al Hilal had the half-time interval to regroup and came out with renewed intent for the second 45. In the 56th minute, Brazilian left-back Renan Lodi evaded the Al Ettifaq offside trap before pulling the ball back for compatriot Malcom to slot home. It was Malcom's eighth Saudi Pro League goal of the season, and Lodi's sixth assist. Al Hilal had a great chance to win the match 10 minutes later as João Cancelo found Aleksandar Mitrovic unmarked inside the penalty box – but the Serbian uncharacteristically fired over. The defeat leaves Al Hilal hanging desperately onto Al Ittihad's coattails and now hoping for multiple slip-ups between now and the end of the season.
Ronaldo inspires al Nassr fightback
For the second time in a week, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace to lead Al Nassr to victory. On this occasion, Ronaldo's double intervention helped Stefano Pioli's side come back from a goal down to beat Al RIyadh 2-1. The win took Nassr to within a point of second-placed Al Hilal, against whom it claimed a morale-boosting Riyadh derby triumph last week. While that was arguably Al Nassr's best performance of the season, Ronaldo and Co were a little slower out of the blocks on Saturday night.
Jhon Duran spurned one early chance but it was the only notable attempt of a forgettable first half that ended with visiting Al Riyadh taking the lead in stoppage time. Left-back Ali al-Khaibari advanced through midfield and struck an optimistic effort from distance, forcing a save from Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento. The Brazilian's team-mates were slow to react but Al Riyadh's Faïz Selemani wasn't; the Comoros international slid home the opening goal, his first in the Pro League since November 1 – 14 games ago.
Al Nassr regrouped at the interval and 10 minutes into the second half, Ronaldo – just as he did against Al Hilal last week – took the game by the scruff of the neck. The Portuguese superstar tapped home at close range from Sadio Mane's cross and, eight minutes later, fired Al Nassr into the lead. Mane's good work down the left created the opportunity as his cross was cleared away to the edge of the penalty area; Ronaldo was waiting there, 20 yards out, to volley the ball back past Al Riyadh goalkeeper Milan Borjan and into the roof of the net.
It was Ronaldo's most spectacular strike of another prolific season – one in which he appears destined to win back-to-back Saudi Pro League Golden Boot awards. He is now three clear of closest challenger Abderrazak Hamdallah of Al Shabab, and six ahead of Karim Benzema, Ivan Toney and Marcos Leonardo. Ronaldo's contribution once again proved decisive with the score staying at 2-1 until the end. There was a late red card for Al Riyadh defender Ahmed Asiri, who was adjudged to have hit out at Al Nassr striker Duran in added time.
Best of the rest
Al Ahli secured its first Saudi Pro League win since February after beating bottom-of-the-table Al Raed 2-0. Matthias Jaissle's side had gone four league games without victory but returned to winning ways thanks to a goal in each half from Franck Kessie and Gabri Veiga. Kessie converted from the spot after right-back Ali Majrashi was felled in the penalty area, before Veiga poked home Al Ahli's second – his sixth Pro League goal of the season – to confirm the three points. Al Raed is now six points adrift of safety as it bids to avoid demotion to the Saudi First Division.
Al Shabab remained in the hunt for an AFC Champions League qualifying spot as it beat Al Kholood 2-0 in Mecca. In-form Cristian Guanca opened the scoring; the Argentine midfielder has now contributed eight goals and nine assists in his past 10 games. Guanca's team-mate Abderrazak Hamdallah has also been prolific of late and he converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time to score his 20th goal of the season and 148th Saudi Pro League goal of his career. Al Shabab is now just three points behind fifth-placed Al Qadsiah.
Al Fateh claimed a significant 5-1 victory at Al Khaleej to move out of the Saudi Pro League relegation zone. The host took the lead after four minutes through Dimitrios Kourbelis but a fruitful eight-minute spell either side of half-time guided Fateh to victory. Matias Vargas leveled in the 44th minute and then shortly after the interval Mourad Batna and Amine Sbai scored in quick succession to put Al Fateh out of sight. A Sofiane Bendebka penalty and second for Vargas completed the rout, which was Fateh's biggest win of the season so far; José Gomes' side is now in 14th place, two points clear of the dropzone.
Like Fateh, Al Fayha has enjoyed a remarkable ascent up the table in recent months. A fellow struggler in January, Al Fayha is now 12th after winning five, drawing five and losing just two of its past 12 games. The latest victory came against AFC Champions League-chasing Al Qadsiah on Saturday night as a brace from Renzo Lopez inspired Fayha to a 2-1 win in Riyadh. Lopez's two goals – his fifth and sixth Pro League goals of the season – were enough, with Julián Quiñones' late goal only proving a consolation.
Ten-man Damac fell to its fifth defeat in seven games as Al Wehda claimed a vital 1-0 win in its bid for Saudi Pro League survival. Damac has dropped off in the second half of this season, winning just once in 10 games since the end of January. Al Wehda capitalized on the host being reduced to 10 men after Abdelkader Bedrane saw red on 35 minutes, with Juninho Bacuna snatching a winning goal early in the second half. Al Wehda is just three points behind 15th-placed Al Orobah as the relegation battle looks set to go down to the wire again.
Al Taawoun has been battling valiantly on two fronts this season and is now just one match away from reaching the AFC Champions League 2 final. But the team's league form has tended to suffer after playing matches in Asia and it happened again in a 1-1 draw against struggling Al Akhdoud. Christian Bassogog put Al Akhdoud ahead just seven minutes in but Al Taawoun at least managed to stay in the game and eventually grabbed an equalizer through Saudi midfielder Sultan Mandash.