Saudi Gazette report
AL-AHSA — In a stunning upset, Al-Fateh pulled off a remarkable 5-1 win against Al-Ahli, marking the latter’s first loss of the current season in the fifth round of the Saudi Pro League.
Al-Ahli’s point tally now stands at 12, securing them in fourth place, while Al-Fateh climbed to eight points, positioning them at seventh in the league.
Al-Ahli initially took the lead with a goal by Spanish striker Gabriel Veiga in the sixth minute. However, Firas Al-Brikan leveled the score for Al-Fateh in the 21st minute.
In the 58th minute, Lucas Zelarayán netted the second goal for Al-Fateh. Shortly after, Mourad Batna added two more goals in the 89th minute (from a penalty) and in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half.
In the 104th minute (including stoppage time), Sofiane Bendebka sealed the deal with a fifth goal for Al-Fateh from the penalty spot.
Meanwhile, Al-Shabab suffered their second consecutive defeat, this time against Al-Khaleej with a score of 1-3.
Al-Shabab’s point total remains at two, placing them second to last in the standings, while Al-Khaleej increased their points to five, securing the twelfth spot.
Al-Shabab took an early lead through Iago Santos in the 20th minute, but Mansour Hamzi equalized for Al-Khaleej in the 39th minute.
In the 68th minute, Fabio Martins scored the second goal for Al-Khaleej, and Mohamed Sharif sealed the victory with a goal in the 81st minute.
In another fifth-round match, Al-Ittifaq regained their winning form with a 3-1 victory over Damac.
After losing to Al-Hilal 0-2 in their last match, Al-Ittifaq’s victory pushed them to ten points, placing them fifth in the standings. Damac remains at three points, occupying sixteenth place.
Damac took the lead through George Nkoudou’s penalty in the seventh minute, but Moussa Dembélé scored two goals for Al-Ittifaq in the 13th and 23rd minutes. Hamdan Al-Shamrani added the third goal for Al-Ittifaq in the 68th minute.
In another match, Al-Taawoun secured a significant 4-1 victory over Al-Wehda. Al-Taawoun took the lead with goals from Flavio da Silva in the 10th minute and Sattam Al-Rouqi in the 28th minute.
Walid Al-Ahmad added the third goal for Al-Taawoun in the 62nd minute, and Andrei Girotto scored the fourth goal in the 85th minute. In the dying moments of the match, Faisal Fajr scored a penalty for Al-Wahda.