The 22nd round of the Saudi First Division League, held on Saturday evening, witnessed thrilling matches and notable results. Some teams strengthened their positions in the promotion race, while others deepened their relegation battle. The day's highlights included Al-Tai's resounding victory over Al-Jubail and Al-Orouba's dramatic comeback against Al-Adalah.
The general context of the Yellow League competitions
The Yelo League is the second tier of Saudi Arabian football, following the Saudi Professional League, and serves as a gateway for clubs to glory and recognition. Eighteen teams compete throughout the season, with the top three teams earning direct promotion to the Professional League. This makes it a highly competitive and crucial league, especially in the later rounds. Conversely, the bottom three teams are relegated to the second tier, making every point vital in the fight for survival.
Al-Ta'i adds to Al-Jubail's woes with a clean four-goal victory
At Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi Stadium, Al-Ta'ee, recently relegated from the Professional League, demonstrated their true intentions of a swift return to their rightful place with a resounding 4-0 . Al-Ta'ee dominated the match, translating their control into goals scored by Machado in the 58th minute, Torles Knoll in the 72nd and 90+3 minutes, and Hussein Al-Shurafa in the 78th minute.
This victory raised Al-Ta'ee's points tally to 28, moving them up to ninth place and keeping their promotion hopes alive. As for Al-Jubail, this heavy defeat compounded their woes, leaving them stuck on just 8 points at the bottom of the table, in a precarious position in their fight to avoid relegation.
A fatal comeback for Arabism in the face of justice
In another thrilling match, Al-Orouba snatched a valuable 2-2 in the dying minutes. Al-Adalah took a two-goal lead through Shivafero Ranga in the 27th minute and Abdulaziz Al-Jamaan in the 38th minute. Just when it seemed Al-Adalah would secure the victory, Al-Orouba rallied in the second half, scoring twice through Ahmed Al-Jwaid in the 56th minute, before Abdulrahman Hindi netted the dramatic equalizer in the 96th minute.
This valuable point raised Al-Oruba's tally to 44, strengthening their hold on third place, one of the direct qualification spots for the Roshan League. Meanwhile, Al-Adalah squandered a victory that was within their grasp, bringing their total to 16 points in sixteenth place and keeping them in the relegation zone.
Al-Zulfi returns with a valuable victory from Al-Bukairiyah field
In another match, Al-Zulfi secured an important away victory against Al-Bukairiyah with a score of 3-1 . Al-Zulfi's goals were scored by Hamza Bari (23'), Diego Miranda (61'), and Abdulaziz Al-Shuraid (89'), while Jonathan Moya scored Al-Bukairiyah's lone goal (76'). With this win, Al-Zulfi climbed to tenth place with 28 points, while Al-Bukairiyah remained in sixth place with 33 points.
