AL-HASA: Matchday 10 of the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League is officially underway, albeit under unique circumstances, with three matches from the previous round postponed because of the logistical difficulties facing teams traveling across the country amid frequent airport closures.
Only one game took place on Sunday, as Al-Fateh and Al-Khaleej met in a thrilling Eastern Province derby, both sides coming off their first victories of the season last Thursday.
Mourad Batna led Al-Fateh to a late 3-2 win over Al-Hazem with a stunning free-kick in the dying moments, while Al-Khaleej rallied to a 2-0 victory over Al-Fayha thanks to goals from Joshua King and recent signing Mateo Benegas.
King, however, was nowhere to be seen when Al-Khaleej’s starting XI made it onto the Maydan Tamweel Al-Oula pitch against Al-Fateh. Alongside Musa Barrow and Pedro Rebocho, King was rested as head coach Jose Gomes opted to rotate players ahead of their match against Al-Ahli on Thursday.
The gamble did not pay off initially, as it was Al-Fateh head coach Djamel Sellami who went into the break more satisfied with his side. After starting his stint at the club with a 4-0 defeat to Al-Ahli at home, things have started to turn for the better for the former Jordan national team head coach, despite the late collapse against Al-Khaleej.
In the first half, his 5-4-1 formation, which relied on the vertical movement of the wing-backs and giving space in transition to his wingers, proved fruitful. It took until just after the half-hour mark for them to open the scoring, but concerns about whether the side relied too much on Batna resurfaced when his cross found Lukas Haraslin, who fired a low driven shot into the far corner.
Among the new faces at Al-Fateh were Ali Al-Amine — formerly of Lyon 2 — and Moroccan midfielder Hossam Essadak, both making their full debuts on the night. Essadak in particular had a performance to remember, shoring up the midfield alongside Ali Al-Hassan and winning every single one of his nine ground duels.
Essadak also created Al-Fateh’s second, delivering a pinpoint cross to Wilfried Kanga in the 60th minute to all but seal the game for the hosts. Kanga seems to have finally found his form, netting his third goal in four games after going his first seven without one.
Al-Khaleej had introduced King at the start of the second half and, moments after Al-Fateh’s second, brought on Barrow in response. That allowed the visitors to gradually make their way back into the game, culminating in a goal for Barrow in the 78th minute — his first of the season after struggling with injury — as he latched onto a Saleh Al-Amri through ball to sneak in behind the defense and finish past Adrian Semper.
Al-Fateh attempted to hold on, but would rue Faisal Al-Abdulwahed’s shot that rattled the crossbar in the 83rd minute. Less than a minute later, Al-Khaleej equalized when Barrow launched the ball toward the box, Benegas laid it off and King finished — Gomes’ substitutions had completely changed the game for the visitors.
Ten minutes prior, it had been edging toward a night to remember for Al-Fateh, who were on course for consecutive wins for the first time since January 2026. But the cruelest twist was still to come: in the third minute of stoppage time, the ball fell to Al-Khaleej midfielder Omar Mascarell outside the box, and he met it first time with a wonderful volley past Adrian Semper to complete the comeback.
Al-Khaleej’s victory is their second in a row, moving them to 12 points and closer to the top five. After a start to the season that saw them go eight games without a victory, head coach Jose Gomes will feel his risky gamble paid off ahead of Thursday’s crunch fixture against Al-Ahli.
SPL action returns on Monday, with Al-Fayha hosting Al-Ahli at 6:05 p.m., followed by Al-Shabab hosting Al-Faisaly and Al-Hilal hosting Al-Hazem in Riyadh at 9 p.m.