AlKhaleej

DAMMAM: It was a day of contrasts for last season’s SPL champions and runners-up — Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal — on Matchday 7 of the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League. The title holders dropped two valuable points against a winless Al-Khaleej in their worst performance of the season, while Al-Hilal produced their best yet, hitting Al-Taawoun for six in Qassim.

Al-Nassr could not have asked for a worse start against Al-Khaleej. The stifling Dammam heat — reminiscent of their torturous evening against Al-Ettifaq a few weeks ago — combined with a surprisingly well-organised Al-Khaleej side to limit Al-Nassr’s possession, as they ended the first 45 minutes without a shot on target.

With an away fixture against Al-Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday, Ange Postecoglou knew that managing the team’s tempo throughout the game was vital. But after losing to Al-Ittihad last Saturday, Al-Nassr could not afford to drop further points in what promises to be one of the most competitive SPL title races in recent memory.

It did not help that their opponents were going through their roughest start in recent years. Under head coach Jose Gomes, Al-Khaleej had failed to win any of their first six fixtures, drawing four and losing two — including a 5-1 defeat to Al-Hilal and a 3-0 loss to NEOM.

The expectation, then, was that Al-Nassr’s attack would overrun the Al-Khaleej defense. What they got instead was Al-Khaleej’s most composed performance of the season.

The icing on the cake for Al-Khaleej came on the stroke of half-time, when an Angelo Fulgini corner delivered to the far post found the unmarked Omar Mascarell, who headed home for the opener — with Bento’s failure to claim the ball helping Mascarell on his way.

Al-Nassr reorganized in the second half with Mohamed Simakan replacing Abdullah Al-Khaibari. The full-backs pushed up high and wide, with Samu Costa sitting in front of the back three as Al-Nassr’s front four moved freely through Al-Khaleej’s lines. But it was not until Abdullah Al-Hamddan came on in the 70th minute that Al-Nassr registered their first shot on target.

Seconds after coming on, Al-Hamddan received the ball outside the box from Inigo Martinez, who dispossessed Al-Khaleej midfielder Miguel Crespo — who had initially played the ball away after what appeared to be a foul. In the ensuing confusion, Al-Hamddan unleashed a curling effort from outside the box to beat Anthony Moris and send the Al-Nassr fans into raptures.

But — unlike in the aforementioned Al-Ettifaq clash, where Al-Nassr came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with a man down — they could not build on the equalizer.

Their best chance came in the 86th minute, when — from the same position Al-Hamddan scored from — Joao Felix fired at Moris, only for his deflected effort to be tipped away.

A golden opportunity arose on the counter in the first minute of stoppage time, with Felix driving toward goal and Ronaldo and Mane on either side of him — but he opted not to pass, as the attack broke down, and Al-Khaleej cleared the danger.

The draw leaves Al-Nassr frustrated — they now sit third behind Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal. Having just won the SPL Manager of the Month award, it may be that Ange Postecoglou’s honeymoon is coming to an end.

Elsewhere, Al-Hilal bounced back emphatically after a 2-0 defeat to NEOM that ended their 47-game unbeaten league streak. The Blues hit Al-Taawoun for six, dominating every aspect of the game — and all but sealing Zarko Lazetic’s fate at Al-Taawoun. Prior to the game, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Al-Taawoun board had taken a collective decision to part ways with the Serbian regardless of the Al-Hilal result — and the scoreline certainly did not help his case.

It was a night to remember for Ollie Watkins and Gabriel Martinelli, who finally hit the ground running at their new club.

In the ninth minute, Ruben Neves delivered one of his trademark long balls to Watkins, who latched on despite the challenge of Awn Al-Saluli to finish past Mailson for the opener.

Nine minutes later, Martinelli opened his Al-Hilal account. The Brazilian winger slipped between Al-Taawoun midfielders Ashraf El-Mahdioui and Oscar Dorley to collect a loose ball in the box before doubling the lead. Martinelli added his second before half-time, when Watkins slipped him through on goal with a threaded ball — the former Arsenal man cutting inside to finish coolly into the net.

Al-Hilal pushed for more in the second half, and in the 50th minute Martinelli completed his hat-trick from Crysencio Summerville’s run to the byline, which teed him up for an easy finish. Watkins secured his brace in the 53rd minute when he won possession from the Al-Taawoun midfield and drove toward goal, leaving Mailson with no chance to make it 5-0.

Sultan Mandash completed the rout with a goal against his former club in the 75th minute, choosing not to celebrate.

It was a statement performance from Al-Hilal, who had come under immense pressure after that defeat to NEOM — which had coincided with the first start of the former Premier League trio of Summerville, Watkins and Martinelli together. The victory moves Al-Hilal into first place on 18 points ahead of the international break.

SPL action returns on Sunday for its final day before the league takes a break for the Arabian Gulf Cup in Jeddah. NEOM face Al-Fateh at 7:20 p.m., before two matches kick off at 9 p.m.: Al-Riyadh against Al-Kholood and Diriyah against Abha.