Saleh Al Shehri scored the only goal of the game as Al Ittihad edged Jeddah rivals Al Ahli to go level on points with Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal.
Al Shehri turned in a cross from Moussa Diaby in the 42nd minute to give Laurent Blanc’s side a 1-0 lead in the derby, while Diaby was denied the chance to double that advantage in the closing stages by the woodwork.
Matthias Jaissle’s Al Ahli thought they had scored an equaliser through their captain Franck Kessie in the 59th minute only for the goal to be ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Al Ahli had also gone close in the 51st minute when Ivan Toney rounded Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, but his strike was brilliantly cleared off the line by Abdulelah Al Amri.
Blanc’s side generated an expected goals (xG) total of 1.06 with four of their 12 efforts on target, while Al Ahli ended with an xG of 1.01 with three of their shots on target.
Al Ittihad have collected 24 points from nine matches - the same as defending champions Al Hilal who will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on Friday.
Al Ahli, meanwhile, find themselves 13 points adrift of the summit in 11th place with just one win from their last five matches.
Al-Ittihad 2-1 Al-Nassr: Bergwijn nets last-gasp winner for leaders
Steven Bergwijn's last-gasp winner earned Al-Ittihad a huge victory in their quest for the Saudi Pro League title, beating Al-Nassr 2-1 at King Abdullah Sports City on Friday.
Karim Benzema had given the hosts a 55th-minute lead before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled two minutes later, but Bergwijn struck the decisive blow in second half stoppage time.
In a tepid opening 45 minutes, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with Bergwijn and Benzema going closest for the hosts, but unable to trouble Bento.
However, Al-Ittihad got themselves in front shortly after the break when Muhannad Al Shanqiti picked out Benzema, with the Frenchman on hand to tuck the ball home.
But the hosts' joy was short-lived after Angelo saw his effort cleared off the line by Danilo Pereira, before the Brazilian laid the ball back to Ronaldo to level the scoring.
With the game looking to end all square, Al-Ittihad stole the three points at the death as Bergwijn cut inside before curling a right-footed effort into the far-left corner.
The result moved Al-Ittihad three points clear at the summit, though Al-Hilal can go level with them with a win over Al-Raed on Saturday. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, stayed in fourth.
Data Debrief: Bergwijn bursts Ronaldo's bubble
Al-Ittihad have often been second best in their encounters with Al-Nassr, but they earned an impressive victory against Ronaldo's side, though it may not have been deserved.
They managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.66 from their 11 shots compared to Al-Nassr's 1.2 from the same number of attempts.
Benzema also ended his goal drought against Al-Nassr, having failed to score against them in his previous game against them. The former Madrid striker ended the game with a team-high xG of 0.36, while also having more shots (seven) and touches in the opposition box (four) than any of his team-mates.
Al-Ittihad have now won their last nine league matches, their second-longest streak in the competition after 10 wins between October 2021 and February 2022, while also triumphing in their eighth-straight home match in the Pro League.
Wiegman hails England's 'solid' defence against USA
Sarina Wiegman praised England's defensive work in an "intense" game against the United States after they played out a 0-0 draw at Wembley.
The Lionesses struggled to find their rhythm in attack, managing just four shots throughout the game, with only one of those on target – a Leah Williamson header in the 55th minute.
However, they also limited the USA to just three shots on target, with Mary Earps the standout performer as she helped to keep the Olympic champions at bay.
After losing their last friendly at Wembley 4-3 to Germany, Wiegman was pleased to see a marked improvement as England step up their preparation for Euro 2025.
"This shows where we are at, and we need to keep improving," Wiegman told ITV. "It is November now. This is good, but we want to be better again. We have to be better again.
"I thought it was a very intense game. Of course, we know the USWNT is very dynamic [and] explosive in going forward.
"Our defence was solid, we were defending as a team, very strong. They challenged us on the wings; I think we solved that well, and in the box, we defended that pretty good. I'm happy with the team performance."
The visitors thought they had scored a winner at the start of the second half, only for Lindsey Horan's finish to be ruled out for offside.
They were also awarded a penalty in the 65th minute for an Alex Greenwood handball, though VAR overturned it after replays showed it hitting her torso.
The USA are now unbeaten in each of their last 20 friendly matches (W17 D3), keeping a clean sheet in 16 of those matches.
Emma Hayes also maintained her unbeaten start on her homecoming and was proud of how her team performed.
"When you have to play England, especially after the defeat to Germany, we knew there was going to be a reaction to that performance," Hayes told ITV.
"I got the chance to see so many younger, less experienced players. It is so important because we are building towards something. I am proud of the way we imposed ourselves on the game. Generally, I am pleased with the performance.
"We had a goal disallowed, it was never a penalty, but you saw the entries into the final third it was us more than them. We are at a developmental stage, and I am proud of the way we played. In the Olympics, I saw some composure in our play. I am proud.
"You've got two top teams. Sarina's an amazing coach. It was a good tactical match-up. I just enjoy coaching. I live in football matches, to be honest with you."
Al-Nassr 2-0 Damac: Ronaldo scores twice as Pioli's side bounce back
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a double as Al-Nassr defeated 10-man Damac 2-0 to stay five points behind Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad.
Stefano Pioli's side had suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Al-Qadsiah last week, but bounced back with a commanding win against Damac, who were unbeaten in three league matches.
Ronaldo netted his first goal from the penalty spot in the 17th minute after Otavio's header hit the arms of Damac centre-back Abdelkader Bedrane.
The away side's hopes of a comeback were then dashed when Bedrane stomped on Mohamed Simakan and the referee brought out the red card following a VAR check just 11 minutes into the second half.
The 39-year-old sealed the win in the 79th minute, slotting home a cut-back from left-back Nawaf Boushal for his ninth league goal of the season.
Al-Nassr are third in the table, level on 25 points with Al-Qadsiah behind them, while Damac are 11th with 14 points from 12 matches.
Leaders Al-Ittihad will be in action against Al-Ettifaq on Saturday, hoping to pull further ahead at the top.
Data Debrief: 915 goals and counting
Ronaldo's latest brace takes him to 915 career goals, of which 452 have come since he turned 30. It was also the first time he has scored more than once in the league this campaign.
The Portugal international scored 35 goals in 31 appearances for Al-Nassr in last season's SPL, and only Al-Hilal's Aleksandar Mitrovic (12 goals) has scored more than his nine this season.
Ronaldo has also now scored six goals from four matches against Damac in the Saudi top-flight.
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