Al-Khaleej defeats Al-Ahli 3-0, and Al-Fateh forces Al-Ittihad to a draw

Al-Khaleej secured a notable victory by defeating their guests, Al-Ahli, 3-1, at Al-Hazem Club’s stadium in Ar Rass, during the fourth round of the Saudi Professional League. Al-Khaleej’s hat-trick was completed by Spanish striker Iker Cuéllar (32nd minute), French forward Julien Dominguez (85th minute), and substitute Mohammed Sawan (90+2nd minute), while English striker Ivan Toney scored Al-Ahli’s only goal (66th minute).

Al-Khaleej moved up to eight points, sitting in third place, maintaining their unbeaten record. Al-Ahli remained on six points in sixth place, with a match against Al-Hilal still to be played.

The defeat came just three days after the Asian champions of the past two seasons reached the second round of the Intercontinental Cup, having beaten New Zealand’s Auckland City 1-0 thanks to a goal from Saleh Al-Shammas.

In another match, Al-Diriyah returned from Dammam with a convincing 3-0 win over host Al-Ettifaq. Uruguayan forward Darwin Núñez (8th and 81st minutes) and Algerian forward Adl Boulebda (53rd minute) scored Al-Diriyah’s three goals. Al-Diriyah moved to seven points, fifth in the table, while Al-Ettifaq stayed on six points in ninth place after suffering their second consecutive defeat.

A goalless draw characterized the clash between Al-Fateh and Al-Ittihad. Al-Ittihad moved to eight points, fourth in the standings, with two wins and two draws, while Al-Fateh remained on two points in 16th place, having drawn their last two matches after losing their opening two fixtures.