Martinelli stamps Al-Hilal's lead in the Saudi league before the break

The chants from some Al-Taawoun fans toward Al-Hilal player Neves, in which they chanted the name of his late friend and compatriot Jota, the former English Liverpool player who died in a car accident in 2025, sparked widespread outrage, with Al-Nassr captain and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo urging that those who chanted be banned from entering stadiums.

Martinelli shines and Lazetić sacked

On the tactical front, the Buraidah encounter between Al-Taawoun and Al-Hilal, which ended in a clean six-goal victory for the Blues, headlined the seventh round.

Martinelli, who arrived from English champions Arsenal, shone with a hat-trick, and also caused the dismissal of Al-Taawoun's coach, Serbian Žarko Lazetić, and the appointment of Syrian Jihad Al-Hussain in his place, who will be tasked with lifting Al-Qassim's "Sugar" out of the relegation zone.

However, another headline imposed itself on the round after the final shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, featuring 30 players, included Al-Nassr's Senegalese star Sadio Mané and Al-Qadsiah's Mexican top scorer Julián Quiñones, while two of the league's most prominent goalkeepers—Moroccan Yassine Bounou, Al-Hilal's goalkeeper, and Senegalese Édouard Mendy, Al-Ahli's goalkeeper—were nominated for the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers.

Wonderful reaction

On the threshold of his first continental match with Al-Gharafa on Tuesday, Italian coach Simone Inzaghi appeared happy for Al-Hilal to enter the break at the top of the table.

Regarding Martinelli's performance, the former Inter coach said, "The player arrived late and participated in only one training session before the Neom match, and he is at a high level, and I substituted him to rest him."

For his part, Martinelli said, "The team's reaction was very wonderful after the last defeat (against Neom)."

In Al-Majma'ah, in front of a crowd of nearly 3,000 spectators, Al-Ittihad returned with a valuable win over Al-Faisaly (3-1), thanks to a brace by their Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri, thereby claiming a temporary lead that lasted no more than 24 hours on the first day of the round after raising their tally to 17 points.

German coach of Al-Ittihad, Jens Wissing, renewed his commitment to player rotation, "due to the pressure of matches and multiple commitments."

The match was also an opportunity to field Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, who praised the passion of the " العميد" (The Dean) fans, "Although the match is away from home, we are witnessing a large number of fans attending."

Postecoglou complains

In Dammam, Al-Nassr's Australian coach Ange Postecoglou renewed his complaints about the league schedule, following his team's late equalizer against Al-Khaleej, "How many matches have Al-Nassr and others played? This is very, very exhausting. I don't blame the players."

The former Tottenham Hotspur coach continued, "Even Al-Hilal lost to Neom, and therefore the fixture congestion is what is exhausting. About 8 matches in less than a month, can we blame the players?"

Regarding his inclusion in the final Ballon d'Or shortlist, Mané, who scored 10 goals and provided 6 assists, helping the capital club win its first league title since 2019, said, "The feeling is unbelievable."

Rodgers calls for learning

As expected, the Eastern Derby lived up to its promises, with Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ettifaq sharing the six goals scored in the match enjoyed by more than 9,000 spectators at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam.

Northern Irishman Brendan Rodgers touched upon the reasons for "Bani Qadis'" fall into the trap of a draw, saying, "There was a physical impact after the effort of the Al-Ahli match, and there was a quest to calm the pace after the two goals and control the match."

He added, "We must learn." Regarding his inclusion in the Ballon d'Or list, Quiñones said, "I am very proud to achieve this milestone. I worked hard for this moment, and now it has come true."

In Jeddah, Dutch-Bosnian Al-Ahli coach Marino Pušić appeared happy with his team's strong comeback against Al-Hazem (3-1), "I think my team deserves appreciation for what they presented, as we showed a wonderful comeback and high quality from a footballing standpoint."

The AFC Champions League winners of the last two editions had suffered three defeats in the past six rounds against Al-Hilal, Al-Kholood, and Al-Qadsiah consecutively.

Neom continued its climb in the standings, rising to fifth place after an exciting win over Al-Fateh (4-2).