da betsson： The Portuguese forward scored a stunner to seal victory for Al-Nassr, but his former Real Madrid team-mate went from hero to zero for Al-Ittihad
da roleta： As the Saudi Pro League returned following the international break, it did so with many of its star names again grabbing the headlines, even if one – Neymar – has cruelly had his first campaign in the Middle East cut short after the serious knee injury he picked up while representing Brazil.
Al-Hilal will have to do without the jewel in their crown for the rest of the season, but the early signs were encouraging that the league leaders can maintain their title tilt without the ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star as they secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej.
That victory stretched their lead at the top of the table to three points, with surprise package Al-Taawoun remaining in second place after earning a more-than respectable 1-1 draw against defending champions Al-Ittihad, as Karim Benzema both enjoyed and endured a memorable 90 minutes.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, are up to third after Cristiano Ronaldo inspired them to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Damac, while Al-Ahli complete the top four as they look to be rediscovering some of their best form after a blip in early October.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the 10th round of Saudi Pro League matches for 2023-24…
WINNER: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo and free-kicks has not always been a happy marriage. Despite possessing one of the best dead-ball techniques the game has ever seen, and having one of the most iconic approaches to the ball whenever he stands over a set-piece, his record when it comes to converting free-kicks is mixed, at best.
On Saturday, though, Ronaldo reminded everyone just why he should remain one of the most feared players in the world when given the chance to stand over a dead ball. With Al-Nassr having pulled their game with Damac back to 1-1 thanks to an Anderson Talisca free-kick, Ronaldo stepped up himself from 25 yards and lashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner for his 11th league goal of the season.
The goal proved to be the winner as Nassr made it 11 victories from their last 12 games in all competitions and moved to within striking distance of Pro League leaders Al-Hilal ahead of a favourable run of fixtures.
Advertisementimago imagesLOSER: Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema has had a mixed time since joining Al-Ittihad in the summer, and perhaps his whole spell in Saudi Arabia thus far was summed up in Friday's draw against Al-Taawoun.
The game presented the chance for Ittihad to leapfrog Taawoun in the table, and they made a strong start as Benzema opened the scoring in the 22nd minute for his fourth league goal of the campaign.
However, his joy did not last long, as the Ballon d'Or winner proceeded to head into his own net just four minutes later, and though the veteran striker largely had a good game, that there were no more goals meant that his error proved to be the difference between winning and dropping more points.
The defending champions are winless in their last three league games, leaving them fifth in the table and six points off the summit after just 10 games. Pressure, then, continues to build on manager Nuno Espirito Santo, whose team selections have come under the microscope during this recent poor run.
WINNER: Aleksandar Mitrovic
Al-Hilal will have been cursing the news out of South America during the international break as their star man and most-expensive summer signing, Neymar, suffered a season-ending injury, with his absence having the potential to ruin their title challenge.
For now, however, they remain top of the table and the only unbeaten team in the Pro League through 10 matches thanks to the goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic, whose winner against Al-Khaleej was his eighth in all competitions since arriving from Fulham.
It has been reported that Mitrovic was not, in fact, Hilal's first-choice when it came to adding a new central striker during the off-season, but he has certainly wasted little time in showing what he is capable of. And with games against Al-Ahli and Al-Taawoun to come before the next international break, his club will be hopeful Mitrovic can maintain his fine early-season form.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Steven Gerrard
Though they are not one of the PIF-backed clubs, pressure is on Al-Ettifaq to challenge near the top of the table given the money they spent and players they bought ahead of the campaign, but concerns are starting to grow around manager Steven Gerrard.
Monday's 1-0 loss to Al-Riyadh means it is now three games without a win for Ettifaq, who after an encouraging start to the season now find themselves down in seventh and five points off a place in the top four.
Without star striker Moussa Dembele, they were unable to create much of note in attack, and instead surrendered victory to a newly-promoted team who had previously won just one of their first nine games of the campaign. Looks like it's time to go back to the drawing board for the Liverpool legend.