At 2 a.m. on December 22, 2023, the 18th round of the Saudi League will start a key battle, with the leader Riyadh Crescent hosting Abha, who is ranked 16th.
In the first 17 rounds of the league, Riyadh Crescent remained unbeaten with 15 wins and 2 draws, accumulating 47 points, ranking first in the Saudi league, while Aipoha had a dismal result, only 4 wins, two draws and 11 losses, only 14 points, ranking third from the bottom.
In the AFC Champions League, Riyadh Crescent successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the West Asian zone, so that the team's results in the league and the AFC Champions League are very good, in contrast, Ronaldo's Riyadh Victory, the league results are relatively poor, the first 16 rounds only achieved 12 wins, one draw and three losses, temporarily accumulating 37 points, ranking second in the Saudi League, but already 10 points behind. Riyadh Crescent won the first half of the race.
Despite the absence of Brazilian star Neymar with a serious injury, the Crescent squad is still quite luxurious. In the face of the weak team, the new moon did not relax at all, Serbian titan Mitrovic rushed forward, Malcolm, Salim, Michael cruising behind Mishen, Portuguese star Neves and Brazilian superstar Milinkovic partnered in the back, four defenders Koulibaly and Blaich led, Saudi Arabia and Yasir were separated on both sides, and the Moroccan goalkeeper Bounou, who performed well in the World Cup, guarded the goal, such a lineup is still competitive in the five major leagues, not to mention, in the Saudi league? Saudi tycoons are really rich and capricious, just like that, a large number of stars have not yet arrived, and Salah's transfer is boiling, but it did not happen in the end. We looked back on the pitch to enjoy the game and look back at the seven goals that were a visual feast for us, even if it was only in the Saudi league.
In the 18th minute, the deadlock was broken!Yasir's header was ferried, Milinkovic pushed the goal in front of the goal, Riyadh Crescent 1-0 Abha.
In the 22nd minute, the score was expanded, Dawasari broke through in the penalty area and was brought down, the referee awarded a penalty, Mitrovic scored a penalty shot, although the opponent's goalkeeper judged the right direction, but still could not prevent the ball from going into the net, Riyadh Crescent 2-0 Abha.
In the 73rd minute, Michael's adjustment shot in the penalty area was blocked, and Dawasari scored with a clever follow-up shot, Riyadh Crescent 3-0 Abha.
In the 80th minute, Mitrovic returned the favor with an assist for Milinkovic's volley, Riyadh Crescent 4-0 Abha.
In the 83rd minute, the Crescent was unstoppable, Mohammed Kanu broke through to the penalty area and scored with a clever shot, Riyadh Crescent 5-0 Abha. The players playing away from home are already devastated.
In the 86th minute, Portuguese star Ruben Neves scored from a direct free kick, Riyadh Crescent 6-0 Abha. It's really smooth, no matter how you kick it!
In the 90+5th minute, Milinkovic scored a hat-trick with a header, and Riyadh Crescent 7-0 Abha.
Riyadh Crescent's 7-0 thrashing of Abha brought it on a 12-game winning streak in the league and 19 in all competitions. In the case of 2 more games, the victory of Riyadh ahead of the city rival Riyadh was as much as 13 points, which basically shattered Ronaldo's dream of competing for the championship.
Riyadh Crescent, the dominance in Saudi Arabia is too strong, and those sky-high stars have become the background, such as Benzema, such as Kante, such as Firmino, etc., and Ronaldo is also unable to escape the nightmare and is destined to become a tragic character. Due to Mitrovic's one pass and one shot in this round of the league, Mitrovic tied Ronaldo in the scorer list, both with 16 goals, but Mitrovic also had four assists.
lineup
Riyadh Crescent starters: 3-Koulibaly, 12-Yasser Shahrani, 37-Bounou, 29-Salem Dawasari, 9-Mitrovic, 8-Ruben Neves, 22-Milinkovic-Savic, 77-Malcom, 5-Ali Blahi, 96-Michael, 66-Saud Abdulhamid
At 23 o'clock in the evening of December 22, 2023, Riyadh Victory will usher in the 18th round of matches, at home against Dammam Cooperation, let us witness Ronaldo's play together, and hope that the victory will not drop the chain, grit your teeth and hold on, so that the fierce competition between the two sides will make the league more interesting.