Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice late on to secure Al-Hilal a 3-0 win over Al-Riyadh, sending them top of the Saudi Pro League on Saturday.

Salem Al-Dawsari orchestrated the victory though, scoring one and assisting both of Mitrovic's goals, while Marcos Leonardo was denied a strike of his own.

Al-Hilal dominated the first half, managing 10 shots as they smothered the hosts, but they could not find a breakthrough, only testing Milan Borjan twice.

Both sides moved through the gears in the second half though, with Ibrahim Bayesh rifling a powerful effort against the woodwork minutes after the break for the hosts.

Al-Dawsari found a way through shortly after – he made a sensational run down the left before cutting inside and dinking a lovely shot over Borjan and in off the far post.

Leonardo ran off the back of Al-Riyadh's defence and scored a chip of his own, only to have the goal ruled out as he started his run too early.

Mitrovic made sure of the three points after 80 minutes as he slotted in from a tight angle and got his second in the 100th minute to round off a good day for Al-Hilal. 

Data Debrief: Al-Dawsari steals the show

After struggling to find their shooting boots in the first half, Al-Hilal can be thankful for their left-winger, who caused all sorts of problems for Al-Riyadh.

He had the most touches in the opposition box (seven), and created the most chances (four), while only Ruben Neves (27) made more passes than him in the final third (22).

A Bassam Al-Hurayji own goal in the 100th minute of the match handed Al-Nassr a 1-1 draw against Al-Ahli and denied Ivan Toney a winning start to life in Saudi Arabia.

Franck Kessie looked to have won all three points for Al-Ahli with a wonderful effort from the outside of the box after 57 minutes, but Al-Nassr's pressure was rewarded late on when Al-Hurayji diverted Sultan Alghannam's cross into his own net.

The home side started the match well, with Sadio Mane seeing an early effort cleared off the line and Marcelo Brozovic testing Edouard Mendy from distance, but they were unable to find a way through in the first half.

Kessie had gone close just after the break, dragging his shot wide of the far post, but he was not to be denied a second time. He met a pullback on the edge of the box, opening his foot to send a wonderful effort into the top-left corner.

But Cristiano Ronaldo's side kept probing, with Talisca deflecting a shot wide of the far post before they eventually got on the scoresheet thanks to Al-Hurayji's attempted block.

Data Debrief: Al-Nassr continue scoring streak - just

After scoring in the closing stages, with a bit of luck, Al-Nassr have now scored in their last 22 Saudi Pro League matches, a feat which has not been achieved since March-December 2017, with the final match in that sequence also being against Al-Ahli.

Furthermore, they are now unbeaten in their last six matches against Al-Ahli, which equals the longest unbeaten streak in the fixture - their opponents once went six games unbeaten between 2011 and 2013, winning three and drawing three.

Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr from Chelsea. 

Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee. 

Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.

The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg. 

He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury. 

Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m. 

Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr from Chelsea. 

Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee. 

Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.

The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg. 

He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury. 

Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m. 

Al-Ittihad have announced the signing of Danilo Pereira from Paris Saint-Germain.

The midfielder, who was often deployed at centre-back for PSG, has moved to the Saudi Pro League in a deal reportedly worth €5million.

Pereira made 157 appearances for the French champions in all competitions over four years, winning three Ligue 1 titles, the Coupe de France twice, and the Trophee des Champions three times.

However, he had fallen out of favour, having not featured in any of Luis Enrique's matchday squads so far this season.

Pereira had the most blocks (25) among PSG players in the league last season, and completed the most passes (2084), while he won possession back 128 times, the fourth-best tally in the team.

Al-Ittihad have also confirmed the arrival of Steven Bergwijn from Ajax for a reported €25m.

The winger, who joined Ajax in July 2022, made 80 appearances, netting 31 goals and registering 41 assists.

Talica was twice on target and Cristiano Ronaldo managed another goal and assist as Al Nassr swept Al Fayha aside with a 4-1 away victory in the Saudi Pro League.

The Portugal international needed just five minutes to tee up Brazilian team-mate Talisca, who added the second of his account late on in the match at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.

Ronaldo got on the scoresheet himself in first-half stoppage time, with Marcelo Brozovic also on target before Fashon Sakala's 86th-minute consolation finish on Tuesday.

Victory marks Al Nassr's first win of the new league season after being held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Al Raed in their opener.

Data Debrief: Al Nassr dominance continues

Al Fayha are now winless in their last 111 Pro League matches against Al Nassr (D3 L8), their longest current winless streak against any opponent.

Luis Castro's side, by contrast, have scored in their last 21 league outings, their longest such run since a streak between December 2019 to October 2020.

Roma have signed Saud Abdulhamid from Saudi Pro League champions Al Hilal, the Serie A club announced on Tuesday.

Reports in Italy suggest the deal for the 25-year-old defender was worth €3million.

"Roma are pleased to announce the signing of Saud Abdulhamid on a permanent deal from Al Hilal," the club said in a short statement.

The Saudi Arabia international was a key player for Jorge Jesus' side last season, netting four times and providing nine assists in all competitions to help Al Hilal win a domestic treble.

Manchester City's Joao Cancelo joined Al Hilal to replace Abdulhamid, who will be the first Saudi Arabian player to compete in Serie A.

Al-Hilal have confirmed the signing of Joao Cancelo from Manchester City.

The right-back has reportedly signed a three-year contract after joining the Saudi Pro League club for a fee of £21million.

Cancelo originally joined the Citizens in August 2019 in a deal worth £60m, making him the most expensive right-back in history.

He made 154 appearances for City, winning three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

Cancelo spent last season on loan at Barcelona after a falling out with Pep Guardiola, and led the club's defenders in chances created (35), crosses (82) and shots (32), but the Catalan side opted not to extend his stay.

In his last full campaign at City in 2021-22, he played the most minutes of any outfielder for the team, while he was also involved in more attacking sequences than anyone else in the league (244).

"I would like to wish everyone at City continued success in the future," Cancelo said before completing his move.

"I had many very special moments during my time here at this great club.

"I would like to thank my team-mates, the coaches, all the staff at City and the fans for everything during my time here."

Djaniny's deflected strike was enough to earn Al-Fateh a first win of the Saudi Pro League season as they edged past Al-Ahli 1-0 on Tuesday.

In a game short of clear-cut chances, the hosts got a stroke of luck to help them beat Edouard Mendy.

The teams struggled to get going in the first half, with both goalkeepers only having to make a couple of comfortable saves apiece.

Riyad Mahrez had the best chance, racing in behind Al-Fateh's defence only to drag his low shot wide of the far post. However, his blushes were spared by the offside flag.

Djaniny broke the deadlock from range in the 54th minute – his scuffed shot took a wicked deflection off Ibanez, and Mendy could not keep it out despite getting hands to it after being wrongfooted.

Al-Ahli pushed for an equaliser, with Sumayhan Al Nabit cutting inside in stoppage time, but his low drive was straight at Peter Szappanos. 

Data Debrief: Milestone win for hosts

While it was not a classic by any stretch, Al-Fateh will remember it as their 150th win in the Saudi Pro League (85 home, 65 away). They are the sixth club to hit that milestone in the competition's history. 

Al-Fateh have now won five of their last 22 Saudi Pro League matches against Jeddah clubs (drawn six, lost 11), with all of those victories coming against Al-Ahli. 

Cristiano Ronaldo says Al-Nassr could well be the last club of his career before he retires.

Ronaldo made the move to the Saudi Pro League during the 2022-23, after he was released by Manchester United, and has since scored 74 goals in 81 games in all competitions for Al-Nassr, averaging a goal every 97 minutes.

Last season, Ronaldo broke the record for the most goals in a Saudi Pro League season, scoring 35.

At the age of 39, Ronaldo has no plans to retire just yet, but he suggested he is likely to bring the curtain down on his trophy-laden career at his current club.

He told Portuguese channel NOW: "I don't know if I'll finish soon or in two or three years. But, possibly, it will be at Al-Nassr.

"It's the team where I'm happy, where I'm good, where I feel good, both in the country and in the league.

"That's why, most likely I can finish my career at Al-Nassr. I'm very happy to play in the league and I want to continue."

Despite a difficult Euros, in which Ronaldo could not find the target in any of his five matches and had the most shots in the tournament without scoring, the veteran reiterated his desire to continue representing Portugal.

"When I leave the national team, I won't tell anyone in advance and it will be a very spontaneous decision on my part, but also a very well thought-out one”, Ronaldo said.

"Right now what I want is to be able to help the national team in their upcoming matches. We have the Nations League ahead of us and I would really like to play."

Asked if he could take a step into coaching, Ronaldo said: "At the moment, I'm not thinking about being a coach of the first team or any team.

"It doesn't even cross my mind, I've never thought about it. I don't see my future going through that. I see myself doing other things outside of football, but only God knows what the future holds."

Paulo Dybala says he thought about taking the lucrative deal offered to him from the Saudi Pro League before ultimately deciding to stay at Roma. 

The World Cup winner was being linked with a move to Al-Qadsiah, who reportedly offered him a three-year contract worth €75million.

However, Dybala chose to turn the offer down to stay in Italy and was part of the team that started their 2-1 defeat to Empoli in Serie A on Sunday.

"Everybody looks at the money, but I put many things on the table to come to my decision: my family, my wife, the city, the team, and my desire to return to the national team," Dybala told Sky Italia.

"I'm 30 and feel good. I've seen a lot of criticism about the injuries, but I try to work hard every day to take care of myself and perform the best I can."

Dybala has been a fan favourite at Roma since joining from Juventus in 2022 and has been an influential figure for the club.

He scored 16 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions last season, with only Romelu Lukaku bettering his tally (21 in 47 games).

The Argentinian was also involved in more goals than any of his team-mates (26), having registered 10 assists, while he also led the way for chances created (61) and big chances created (15) among Roma players in 2023-24.

And Dybala admitted that while he is happy with his decision to stay in the Italian capital, he did debate taking the offer.

"Surely when you see that kind of figure… I can't say I didn't think about it, but I weighed a few aspects. It made no difference to my agent. It's not true that he would have made a lot of money.

"The most important thing for him is my happiness. We've collaborated for a long time. I don't know how the Arabs reacted as I didn't speak with them directly."

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice as Al Hilal kickstarted the defence of their Saudi Pro League title with a comfortable 3-0 win against Al Okhdood. 

Mitrovic, who netted a brace in Al Hilal's 4-1 win over Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup final a week ago, got his league tally up and running in a rampant first half display. 

The Serbian opened the scoring with just four minutes on the clock, steering the ball in from close range after being found by Abdullah Al Hamddan inside the area. 

He doubled his total shortly before the break, combining again with Al Hamddan before producing a trademark header beyond the grasp of Paulo Vítor. 

The triumph was confirmed after Sergej Milinkovic-Savic curled home an exquisite free-kick in first half injury time to net his 14th goal for the club. 

Al Hilal failed to replicate their clinical showing after the interval with none of their five shots on target, but the damage had already been done in the first 45 minutes. 

Data Debrief: Mitrovic continues incredible run

Since his move to Saudi Arabia from Fulham, Mitrovic has not stopped scoring, with his brace taking his tally to 30 goals in 29 Saudi Pro League appearances. 

The visitors accumulated an expected goals (xG) of 1.94 in the encounter, with Mitrovic contributing 0.77 to that total with his four shots in the contest. 

Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a late winner as Al-Nassr were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Raed on the opening day of the Saudi Pro League.

Mohammed Fouzair equalised from the spot at the start of the second half, cancelling out the 39-year-old's first-half goal at Al Awal Park on Thursday.

Al-Nassr dominated the opening exchanges, and when the visitors struggled to clear their lines from a corner, Ronaldo towered over everyone in the box to nod home Sadio Mane's delivery.

They found themselves on the backfoot minutes into the second half though - Amir Sayoud's curling shot was saved, but Fouzair was dragged back by Aymeric Laporte when he tried to reach the rebound, resulting in the defender receiving a straight red card.

After a VAR review, the card was downgraded to a yellow and a penalty was awarded to Al-Raed. Fouzair then made no mistake from 12 yards, picking out the bottom-right corner.

Talisca struck the post as Al-Nassr searched for a winner, and Ronaldo thought he had found one with just under 15 minutes left. He curved his run in behind the defence to poke past Meshari Sunyur, who had looked unbeatable, but the forward was offside, and it did not count.

The hosts were unable to join Al-Taawoun on three points at the top of the table after their win earlier on Thursday. 

Data Debrief: Fine margins deny Ronaldo

After suffering disappointment in the Saudi Super Cup last weekend, Al-Nassr would have been keen to get off to a winning start in the league.

And they came close. They dominated throughout the game, having 28 shots to Al-Raed's seven, generating 2.18 expected goals.

Ronaldo now has 36 goals in the Saudi Pro League and was denied a 37th by the closest of margins in a frustrating day for the hosts.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has joined newly promoted Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah on a two-year deal.

The 35-year-old is the latest high-profile signing for the Khobar-based club, following the arrivals of Nacho and Koen Casteels from Real Madrid and Wolfsburg respectively.

Aubameyang joins after just one season with Marseille, for whom he scored 30 goals in 51 appearances while also becoming the record marksman in Europa League history.

A LaLiga title winner with Barcelona, the forward also won the DFB-Pokal during his time with Borussia Dortmund, and the FA Cup at Arsenal.

Aubameyang stepped onto the pitch for the first time with his new club during their pre-season friendly with Borussia Monchengladbach on Thursday.