Al Ettifaq fight back to beat Al Nassr as star-studded Saudi Pro League gets underway
Al Ettifaq's comeback win over Al Nassr brings to a close a fascinating opening weekend in the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League season.
Check out John McAuley's match report from Dammam here.
And with that, we bid farewell until next weekend!
Will Cristiano Ronaldo return to help Nassr bounce back? Will Neymar be turning out for Al Hilal? Can Karim Benzema get off the mark?
All this and so much more to look forward to. See you then!
FULL TIME: Al Ettifaq 2 Al Nassr 1
What was a disastrous start to the match transformed into a dream start to the Saudi Pro League season for Steven Gerrard.
Sadio Mane had given Al Nassr - minus talismanic captain Cristiano Ronaldo - the lead in the fourth minute, but two goals early in the second half from Robin Quaison and Moussa Dembele turn the game on its head.
Certainly not the start Ronaldo would have hoped for in his absence as he aims to secure a league title in a fourth different country.
Mane denied brilliant equaliser!
Sadio Mane hits the purest of volleys into the bottom corner but the celebrations are cut short by the offside flag. The Senegalese forward knew it, too.
And now we have 14, FOURTEEN, minutes of injury time!
Ettifaq still looking good for the win at this stage.
File this under 'heroic defending'
Ettifaq defender Marcel Tisserand produced this heroic block to prevent Al Nassr from scoring an equaliser.
No surprise he needed a few minutes after to compose himself!
Ettifaq fans bouncing
John McAuley reports from Dammam:
That remarkable turnaround has not only galvanised Ettifaq, but their supporters too. Cue the flares & the bouncing. What a start this would be for Gerrard, Henderson and Co if they can hold on. Long way to go though.
What a turnaround by Ettifaq!
What did Steven Gerrard tell his players at halftime??
From 1-0 down and rarely threatening to leading 2-1 just eight minutes after the restart!
Robin Quaison pulled the hosts level just two minutes into the second half, before Moussa Dembele - signed from Lyon in the summer - struck to give them the lead.
Game very much on and the home fans are loving it...
HALF TIME: Al Ettifaq 0 Al Nassr 1
Sadio Mane's early goal the difference in a game lacking tempo and dynamism. Probably much to do with the heat and humidity.
The stars of the game so far have been the fans, who have been loud in their support of their teams.
Al Ettifaq 0
Al Nassr 1 (Mane 4')
Mane off the mark
Ettifaq drum up support
John McAuley in Dammam:
That goal did quieten the hardcore Ettifaq fans to our right, but soon they were chanting and clapping, egged on by their enthusiastic drummer.
Hope he has a sub to come on mid-match too, given the weather.
Mane scores!
Barely four minutes on the clock and Al Nassr are in front, courtesy of Sadio Mane!
Al Nassr may be without captain and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo tonight but Mane with an immediate reminder of his own goal-scoring prowess.
A disastrous start for Steven Gerrard.
Al Ettifaq 0
Al Nassr 1 (Mane 4')
Hot and humid night in Dammam
Absolutely toasty night here in Dammam. Phone screen steaming up in the 36C heat and 63% humidity. Working up a sweat just sitting in press box. Imagine what the players are feeling.
'Thrive' ... 'keep winning' ... eat your 5-a-day?
From teammates to opposing captains
Al Ettifaq team news
Steven Gerrard has named his first Saudi Pro League starting XI, which will be led by former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.
Kick-off 10pm UAE time.
Al Nassr team news
As earlier reported by John McAuley, there will be no Cristiano Ronaldo for Al Nassr after the Portuguese superstar picked up an injury during his King Salman Club Cup heroics.
However, there is a start for former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane.
Dominance from Al Hilal and Al Ittihad - full time stats
Before we turn our focus to Al Ettifaq v Al Nassr, here are the stats from the early games...
Abha 1 Al Hilal 3
Total shots: Abha (12) Al Hilal (26)
Shots on target: Abha (4) Al Hilal (8)
Possession: Abha (27%) Al Hilal (73%)
Passes: Abha (233) Al Hilal (613)
Corners: Abha (3) Al Hilal (8)
Al Raed 0 Al Ittihad 3
Total shots: Al Raed (5) Al Ittihad (18)
Shots on target: Al Raed (1) Al Ittihad (9)
Possession: Al Raed (33%) Al Ittihad (67%)
Passes: Al Raed (336) Al Ittihad (662)
Corners: Al Raed (1) Al Ittihad (10)
Brazilian hat-tricks 🤝 Saudi Pro League
After Roberto Firmino's opening day hat-trick for Al Ahli on Friday, Malcom followed his fellow Brazilian with a treble of his own in Al Hilal's win at Abha this evening.
Coronado overshadows Benzema
All the focus and excitement was on Karim Benzema (and rightly so) but it was Igor Coronado who shone brightest for Al Ittihad against Al Raed.
The Brazilian midfielder scored twice to guide his side to victory. His first was an absolute corker...
FULL TIME: Al Raed 0 Al Ittihad 3
After a frustrating first half that saw Al Raed defend brilliantly, the champions eventually ran away with the it to open their title defence with a solid victory.
Abderrazak Hamdallah broke the deadlock with an excellent finish, before a double from Igor Coronado made sure of the three points.
No debut league goal for new star man Karim Benzema but he did get an assist for the opener.
Al Raed 0
Al Ittihad 3 (Hamdallah 58', Coronado 73', 79')
FULL TIME: Abha 1 Al Hilal 3
It was the Malcom show at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium as the Brazilian winger marked his Saudi Pro League debut with a hat-trick.
Malcom opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark, only for Saad Bguir to pull the hosts level two minutes later.
After the interval, though, it was all Hilal and their record signing took centre-stage with two more goals to guide his side to an ultimately comfortable victory.
First Neymar is about to join, then three points in their opening league match. A pretty decent day for Hilal and their fans!
Abha 1 (Bguir 33')
Al Hilal 3 (Malcom 31', 55', 77')