King of the Two Holy Mosques Cup: Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli in the hospitality of Al-Raed and Al-Anwar

Competitions for the Round of 32 in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup for the 2026-2027 season continue this evening, with Al-Ahli visiting Anwar, Al-Zulfi facing Al-Riyadh, Al-Qadsiah taking on Al-Taawoun, Al-Adalah meeting Al-Fayha, and Al-Hilal visiting Al-Ra’ed.

Meanwhile, Al-Nassr began their campaign to defend the Saudi Pro League title with a convincing 3-0 victory over visitors Al-Fateh at King Abdullah Sports City in Riyadh, concluding the first matchday.

Al-Nassr played without their veteran Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo (41), who missed training due to his marriage to his partner, Georgina Rodriguez. The Al-Nassr goals were scored by Brazilian Angelo Gabriel (37), Portuguese Joao Felix (40), and Portuguese Samu Costa (73).

Australian manager Ange Postecoglou, who replaced Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, expressed satisfaction with his team’s start, noting that preparation conditions did not allow all players to reach full fitness. Postecoglou stated that Al-Nassr faced a difficult match at the start of the season but delivered a good performance, praising his players’ commitment despite their differing join dates to the camp and the team not yet reaching the desired level of readiness. He highlighted the difficulty of the team’s upcoming schedule, saying, “We have three matches in six days, and no other team has such a congested fixture list except Al-Nassr.” He added, “We have a strong squad and important players who did not feature today, and we expect a lot from them in the coming matches,” emphasizing that the team still needs more time to reach their best levels.

Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation in the next match against Al-Diriyah, Postecoglou said, “I don’t know yet whether Ronaldo will play against Al-Diriyah or not.” He concluded by stressing that the disparity in players’ fitness levels was natural at the start of the season, clarifying that the team was not 100% ready but managed to achieve a positive start with the win over Al-Fateh.

Al-Ittihad began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against visitors Al-Kholood in a match that saw their Portuguese player Danilo Pereira sent off with a red card in the 58th minute. Al-Ittihad took the lead through Moroccan Youssef El-Arabi (43), while Frenchman Julian Domingues equalized for Al-Kholood (52). The match also saw Algerian Houssem Aouar miss a penalty, and the referee showed the red card to Portuguese player Pereira (58). The match between Al-Taawoun and Al-Gharafa ended in a goalless draw at King Abdullah Stadium in Buraidah.