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September 11, 2024
This week, airports throughout the Kingdom will be bustling as Roshn Saudi League players return to their clubs from around the world following a busy international break.
From the UEFA Nations League to the AFC Asian Qualifiers and the qualifiers for CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, and CAF, the top players from the RSL were deeply engaged in a thrilling week of action.
Led by the record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo, here’s a look at how the Saudi Arabian top-flight representatives performed.
Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo captured global attention by scoring his 900th career goal in Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia. Shortly after, he reached 901 goals with a decisive 88th-minute strike against Scotland.
Portugal was also represented by Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves, who remained an unused substitute in the match against Croatia but entered the field at halftime in the game against Scotland.
Al Ittihad’s N’Golo Kanté, recently back from international duty at the 2024 UEFA Euros, had a week of mixed results with France. He experienced a loss to Italy but saw victory over Belgium, where he faced Al Qadsiah’s Koen Casteels, the goalkeeper for both of Belgium’s matches against France and Israel.
Al Nassr’s Aymeric Laporte went head-to-head with new Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic in a match where neither Spain nor Serbia scored. Spain later secured a victory in their second game of the window against Switzerland. At the same time, Denmark overcame Serbia, missing Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Mario Mitaj, another recent addition to Al Ittihad, played for Albania in League B matches against Ukraine and Georgia. In Group B, another RSL clash occurred when Iceland, featuring Al Orobah’s Johann Berg Gudmundsson, faced Turkiye. Al Ahli’s Merih Demiral was on the winning side, with Turkiye securing a 3-1 victory.
Slovakia’s Marek Rodak and Norbert Gyomber, representing Al Ettifaq and Al Kholood, respectively, had a successful window with consecutive victories over Estonia and Azerbaijan in League C of the UEFA Nations League. Similarly, Damac’s Romanian pair, Florin Nița and national-team captain Nicolae Stanciu, also enjoyed an intense week, securing wins against Kosovo and Lithuania to place Romania at the top of Group 2 in League C.
Saudi Arabia had a varied international window. After a surprising 1-1 draw in their Asian Qualifiers opener at home against Indonesia, their situation seemed dire when they were trailing by a goal and down a man against China. However, a dramatic comeback, highlighted by Hassan Kadesh’s 90th-minute winner, who had also scored the equalizer, allowed the Green Falcons to secure all three points in Dalian.
Meanwhile, Al Wehda’s Craig Goodwin experienced a tough start to the Third Round of the Asian Qualifiers. Australia faced an unexpected defeat to Bahrain, followed by a 0-0 draw in Jakarta against Indonesia. This leaves the Socceroos with a challenging road ahead, even at this early stage of the qualifiers.
On a more positive note, Iraqi players Ibrahim Bayesh (Al Riyadh) and Youssef Amyn (Al Wehda) enjoyed a successful window. Their team earned four points from matches against Oman and Kuwait.
Uruguay, with Al Qadsiah’s Nahitan Nandez, had a disappointing two-game stretch. They were held to 0-0 draws against Paraguay and Venezuela. This missed opportunity prevented them from solidifying their position at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying standings.
The situation was similar for Brazil, where Al Nassr’s new goalkeeper, Bento, was an unused substitute in their narrow 1-0 victory over Ecuador and a surprising 1-0 defeat to Paraguay.
Meanwhile, new Al Taawoun striker Lucas Chavez made a substitute appearance for Bolivia in their 4-0 victory over Venezuela. This win, only their second campaign, keeps Bolivia in contention for a historic World Cup berth.
This window saw the kickoff of the qualifying matches for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which featured a host of RSL stars.
In Group A, Comoros, which includes Faiz Selemani (Al Riyadh) and Myziane Maolida (Al Kholood), began with two draws against Gambia and Madagascar. In their 1-1 draw with Gambia, another RSL player, Al Taawoun’s Musa Barrow, scored the equalizer just before halftime.
In Group B, a clash of RSL heavyweights occurred when Morocco faced Gabon. This match featured Al Hilal’s reliable goalkeeper, Yassine Bono, against Al Qadsiah’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Although Aubameyang managed to score against Bono, Morocco emerged victorious with a 4-1 win.
One of last season’s standout performers, Damac forward Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, was a substitute for Cameroon in their 1-0 victory over Namibia in Group J.
Senegal’s squad was filled with RSL talent, including Sadio Mane (Al Nassr), Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal), and Habib Diallo (Damac). All four players featured in their two matches against Burkina Faso and Burundi, with Mane scoring against Burkina Faso, who had new Al Riyadh striker Mohamed Konate in their lineup.
Al Qadsiah’s Julian Quinones returned to North America for friendlies against New Zealand and Canada. The 27-year-old, who scored twice on his RSL debut last month, started in the 3-0 win over New Zealand but was an unused substitute in the match against Canada.
Jamaica kicked off their CONCACAF Nations League campaign with Damion Lowe (Al Okhdood) and Demarai Gray (Al Ettifaq) featuring in both matches. The team drew 0-0 with Cuba and secured a 2-1 victory over Honduras.
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and football sportsbook app reviews. As an author for Football News Today, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for football, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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