DAMMAM — Al Ittihad failed to make a perfect start with their new coach, the Argentine Marcelo Gallardo, as they emerged with a 1-1 draw against Al Ettifaq in the opening match of the 14th round of the Saudi Professional League. Al Ittihad, coming off a victory before the break against Abha, settled for a draw, bringing their points to 25, while Al Ettifaq continued their winless streak for the third consecutive match, reaching 23 points. Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum made his mark in the club's records by scoring the first goal for Al Ettifaq in their new stadium. Just before the end of the first half, Jordan Henderson sent a dropping ball into the penalty area, headed by Hamdan Al-Shamrani, which Marcelo Grohe skillfully saved. However, it returned to the penalty area, where Wijnaldum was waiting, and he tucked it into the net, announcing the first goal for his team. Moroccan Abderrazak Hamdallah equalized for Al Ittihad early in the second half after receiving a perfect pass from Fabino inside the penalty area, skillfully placing it into the net. In a thrilling match held in Buraidah, Al Riyadh managed to secure a valuable 2-1 victory against Al-Taawoun in a game full of twists and exciting events. Al-Taawoun's early goal in the 4th minute did not help increase their scoring lead, as Al Riyadh managed to equalize and then secure the win in the second half. Al Taawoun played the match with ten players after Abdel Fattah Adam received a red card at the beginning of the second half, following the return of the referee Shukri Al Hanfoush to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. Before the red card, Musa Barrow missed a penalty for Al Taawoun in the 56th minute. Brazilian Joao Pedro gave Al Taawoun an early lead by rising to a cross and placing it into Riyadh's net, announcing his team's 1-0 lead until the end of the first half. Saleh Al-Abbas equalized for Al Riyadh in the 72nd minute before the referee awarded a penalty in favor of Al Riyadh in injury time. The goalkeeper of Al Taawoun, saved the initial penalty taken by Abdulhadi Al Harjain, but the referee decided to retake the kick, allowing Birama Touré to successfully tuck it into the net.
