Al-Ittihad Shock Al-Qadsiah 1-0 in Saudi Pro League Showdown

Al-Ittihad secured a significant 1-0 victory over Al-Qadsiah in the first major Saudi Pro League clash of the season, ending the home side’s unbeaten run at its stadium after 587 days.

The result was a major disappointment for Brendan Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah, who controlled large parts of the match but could not find a way past Al-Ittihad’s defence. The hosts had four goals ruled out for offside, three involving Julian Quinones and another from Mateo Retegui.

Al-Ittihad also had a goal disallowed after Youssef En-Nesyri broke through the defence and chipped the ball over goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar.

The decisive goal arrived just before half-time through 20-year-old George Ilenikhena. After scoring twice against Al-Najma in the King Cup during the week, the forward again made his opportunity count.

Ilenikhena collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area following a corner and fired a powerful shot beyond Al-Kassar.

The goal followed a mistake from the Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper, who was unable to hold a long-range effort from Faris Abdi, allowing the ball to go out for the corner.

Al-Qadsiah introduced Tijjani Reijnders in the 57th minute for his long-awaited debut. Rodgers hoped the Netherlands international could provide more attacking creativity, but Reijnders found little room to operate as Al-Ittihad defended deep.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men only two minutes into the second half when Dion Lopy received a second yellow card. Coach Jens Wissing responded by reshaping his team into a 4-4-1 formation and bringing on Mukhtar Ali for Steven Bergwijn.

Despite being a man down, Al-Ittihad resisted sustained pressure. Goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic produced several important saves, including a late stop from Mohammed Al-Qahtani in the 86th minute.

Al-Ittihad’s victory was particularly valuable for Wissing, whose side had dropped points against Al-Kholood in their opening league fixture. The win also came during a period of uncertainty surrounding the club following significant departures and concerns over recruitment and leadership.

Elsewhere, Al-Nassr enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 victory over Al-Riyadh. Angelo created the opening goal for Abdulelah Al-Amri in the 18th minute before scoring himself shortly before half-time.

Joao Felix added a third in the 58th minute before Cristiano Ronaldo returned to league action after missing the opening matches of the season following his marriage to Georgina Rodriguez. Ronaldo scored in the 83rd minute with a composed finish, taking his career tally to 977 goals.

Newly promoted Diriyah recorded their first Pro League victory by beating Al-Hazem 1-0. Abdulelah Al-Malki scored inside three minutes after being set up by Oscar Rodriguez.

Neom also claimed a 2-0 win over Al-Faisaly, with Alexandre Lacazette scoring twice in the second half.

Saturday’s fixtures include Al-Fateh against Al-Ettifaq, Al-Kholood versus Al-Taawoun, Al-Khaleej against Al-Shabab and Al-Ahli’s meeting with newly promoted Abha.