5 things learned after the first round of ROSHN Saudi Pro League

1. No shocks but drama coming soon

It was a fairly predictable start to the new season. The teams that you would expect to win did just that and there was little to raise eyebrows, apart from the fact that there were no draws in the eight games. Indeed, the top six from last season all won and did so by conceding a combined total of one goal.

That is not necessarily a bad thing as controversy and drama are never that far away from football in the top tier in Saudi Arabia. There will be excitement, talking points and arguments to follow in the coming days, weeks and months — and that does not need to be the case from the opening round. 

There were some fine goals, encouraging debuts and signs that the smaller teams are not going to give too much respect to the top sides. OK, it lacked a thriller or a clash that will be talked about up and down the country, but don’t be too surprised if the second round really gets temperatures and blood pressure rising. 

 2. Al-Ittihad looking ruthless and solid

Champions Al-Hilal collected a 2-0 win at Al-Khaleej on Thursday to throw down the gauntlet to the runners-up, and it was well and truly picked up by Al-Ittihad on Friday. The runners-up also traveled to the home of a newly promoted team, this time Al-Aladah, and ended up going one better than their rivals with a 3-0 victory.

New coach Nuno Espirito Santo watched with satisfaction from the sidelines. Ahmed Sharahili took advantage of a lapse in concentration to give the visitors the lead from close range after 15 minutes. That settled Al-Ittihad down, they stayed defensively solid and were able to draw the hosts forward and then get behind them. There were plenty of chances to add to the scoreline and it happened in the