Al-Ittihad cling on for much-needed victory; Ronaldo grabs first goal of season as Al-Nassr cruise

DAMMAM: In a night that was expected by some to mark a significant shift in Al-Qadsiah’s standing among the top five in Saudi football, Brendan Rodgers’ side came up short in their home clash against Al-Ittihad, the first major Pro League showdown of the season.

The good news for Al-Qadsiah was that this was not the Al-Ittihad who won the league two seasons ago; it was a team fractured by significant departures, underwhelming signings and a year of turmoil at board level.

The bad news for Al-Qadsiah was that they failed to score against opponents who played most of the second half with 10 men and ultimately suffered a 1-0 defeat. It was the first time they had lost at home in 587 days.

The night marked the long-awaited debut of Tijjani Reijnders for the home side. The Dutch international replaced Otavio in the 57th minute as Rodgers looked to inject some much-needed attacking impetus. He did not look out of place but faced the unenviable task of breaking down a 10-man team that had retreated deep within their own half to preserve a slender lead.

The goal that gave Al-Ittihad that lead came from the promising 20-year-old, George Ilenikhena. After scoring a brace against Al-Najma in the King Cup during the week, it was no surprise that head coach Jens Wissing chose to include him alongside Youssef En-Nesyri.

He did not disappoint. On the stroke of half time, he received the ball on the edge of the box from a corner and lashed a strike past goalkeeper Ahmed Al-Kassar to give his side the lead.

It was a failure by Al-Kassar to hold a weak, long-range effort from Faris Abdi that led to the corner, causing fans perhaps to question whether leaving Koen Casteels out of the squad to free up a spot for another foreign