Global eyes are on the Saudi Pro League like never before after its clubs welcomed a host of star-studded new arrivals to the Kingdom over the past year. Each week, Al Arabiya English will round-up the key storylines as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar and Co do battle for the 2023-24 title.

Matchday 28 began with controversy as Al Hilal’s eye-catching clash with in-form Al Ahli was postponed at late notice due to the former’s AFC Champions League commitments. Ahli voiced its dismay at the decision but the match will now take place in May.

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It meant that Al Nassr was able to close the gap on the league leaders with a Sadio Mane-inspired win against Al Fayha, while Al Ittihad’s late victory over Al Hazm denied the relegation threatened club a valuable point.

The Mane man

With Cristiano Ronaldo suspended following his red card in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final defeat to Al Hilal, it was Senegal star Sadio Mane who stepped into the breach with aplomb against Al Fayha. Mane knows the role of understudy well - having been in the shadow of Mo Salah for much of his time at Liverpool - but he is a player who quietly gets on with his game and impacts the team with his off-the-ball movement and work-rate.

Many have felt that Mane has flattered to deceive with his goal contributions for Al Nassr this season, particularly after an electric start to the campaign in August after his move from Bayern Munich. But, fresh off a Super Cup goal against Al Hilal, Mane found the net again in the 3-1 win on Friday - his brace proving the difference between the two sides. He now has 12 Saudi Pro League goals in 27 games.

It was actually Al Fayha that took the lead in Riyadh as Fashion Sakala - more prolific than Mane in 2023-24 - netted his 14th league goal with a fine finish. Sakala started, and finished, a speedy counter-attack, cutting inside from the left of the penalty area to curl a low shot past Al Nassr goalkeeper David Ospina. It seemed that was how it would stay as Al Fayha resolutely defended deep into the second half. But Alex Telles pinpoint 71st-minute corner was met by center-back Abdulelah Al-Amri, who powered home an equalizing header.

Then the floodgates opened for Mane, the ex-Liverpool forward controlling the ball on his chest before volleying past left-footed Fayha goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic. For Stojkovic it was a heartbreaking concession as he let the ball squeeze past him moments after producing a sensational double save that it had seemed would keep things level. The second goal of Mane’s match-winning salvo was a memorable solo effort as he picked up the ball on the left touchline before dancing past three Fayha defenders and finishing with a low shot. The victory means Al Nassr - momentarily at least - closes the gap on Al Hilal to nine points.

Al Ittihad breaks Hazm hearts

Al Hazm may be bottom of the table but it has produced some impressive displays against the Saudi Pro League’s elite sides this season, including a 4-4 draw with Al Nassr and a 2-2 draw away to Al Ittihad earlier this season. Until the sixth minute of stoppage time it appeared that Hazm would repeat its result against Ittihad but the Jeddah giant kept pushing and eventually found a winner, Aymen Dahmen’s own goal dramatically handing all three points to Marcelo Gallardo’s side.

It could have been more straightforward for Al Ittihad after going 2-0 up - the perfect response after last week’s disappointing Saudi Super Cup final loss to Al Hilal. Saleh Al-Amri set Ittihad on its way, volleying home Romarinho’s left-wing cross, before Paulo Ricardo put through his own net with a looping header while under pressure From Karim Benzema shortly after half-time.

Despite its lowly position and failure to win a match since December, Al Hazm has been tenacious in recent weeks and had some of its draws been converted to wins, the club would be in a much more competitive position. Two quickfire goals helped Jose Daniel Carreno’s side back on to level terms - a well-placed header from Mohammed Al-Thani followed three minutes later by a thumping finish from Toze, who was magnificently set-up by a 35-yard volleyed through ball from Yousef Al-Shammari.

However, Hazm hearts were broken and the team denied a precious point in stoppage time as goalkeeper Dahmen superbly denied Ahmed Hegazi at the first attempt, before the Egyptian’s second attempt ricocheted in off the prone shot-stopper. Hazm is eight points adrift of its nearest rival and urgently needs wins on the board if it is to have any hope of staying in the league.

Al Tai on the move

Each week in the Saudi Pro League there seems to be a new team making its break for survival and this time the big mover was Al Tai, which thrillingly beat fellow struggler Al Riyadh in stoppage time to move out of the division’s relegation zone. Heading into the match, Al Tai had won just one of its past 12 games and was languishing in 17th place in the table.

Last week it sacked beleaguered Romanian coach Laurențiu Reghecampf, replacing him with Uruguayan Leonardo Ramos - who has experience of Saudi football having led Al Ettifaq in 2018. The ‘new-manager bounce’ was well-timed for Al Tai as Ramos quickly brought his side together to face Al Riyadh in the Saudi capital. The visitors took the lead through Bernard Mensah’s 12th goal this season and Abdullah Al Khaibari’s 52nd-minute red card tilted the game further in favor of Al Tai.

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Al Riyadh did manage to equalize through Saudi midfielder Abdulhadi Al Harajin but then in the 12th minute of stoppage time, defender Khalid Al Shuwayyi misjudged the flight of the ball to divert the ball agonizingly past his own goalkeeper and send the Al Tai players into wild celebrations. Ramos celebrated his first win and Al Tai climbed three places above Al Akhdoud, Abha and Al Riyadh into 14th spot. The result means Al Riyadh are back in amongst the relegation dogfight having seemed potentially clear a few weeks ago. The team from the capital has a tough run-in ahead, facing three of the league’s top five teams in its final six matches.

Best of the rest

Being an Abha fan right now is a rollercoaster journey. Pitso Mosimane has given his side a chance of Saudi Pro League survival but just as Abha seems to make progress, it promptly regresses. Al Wehda and Al Fateh have both been vanquished in recent weeks but Abha has also lost 8-0 to Al Nassr and on Thursday, was blown away 5-0 by Al Shabab.

It had seemed Abha would go into half-time level at Shabab but Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco scored in first-half stoppage time to change the complexion of the game. After the interval, the hosts ran riot, with Habib Diallo and a brace from Carlos making certain of the points, before another stoppage-time goal from Carrasco rounded things off. Next Saturday sees 16th-placed Abha take on 17th-placed Al Akhdoud in what will be both clubs’ most important match of the season.

Elsewhere, a double from Cape Verde forward Djaniny handed Al Fateh a 3-1 win over Al Raed that saw Slaven Bilic’s side leapfrog Al Ettifaq into sixth place after Steven Gerrard’s team was held to its fifth 0-0 draw of the season, by Al Wehda. Fifth-placed Al Taawoun was also frustrated in a 1-1 draw with King’s Cup semi-finalist Al-Khaleej, which is gearing up for a league and cup double header against Al Nassr in its next couple of games.

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