The stadiums of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnessed a busy football day within the competitions of the twenty-first round of the Yellow League for First Division clubs for the 2025-2026 sports season, where the intensity of the competition increased, whether in the race to snatch the promotion cards to the Roshan Professional League, or in the struggle to escape the specter of relegation to the Second Division League.

Abha continues its solo performance

In the most notable match of the round, Abha continued their impressive run this season, securing a well-deserved and tactically astute 2-0 victory over Al-Zulfi. This win not only earned Abha three points but also solidified their position at the top of the table with 54 points, widening the gap with their pursuers and reaffirming their strong determination to return to the top flight. Meanwhile, Al-Zulfi remain on 25 points in eleventh place, a relatively comfortable but precarious position in the middle of the table.

Al-Diriyah dominates, fierce competition for second place ensues

Al-Diriyah sent a strong message to all their rivals after delivering one of their best performances of the season, crushing Al-Jandal 4-0 away from home. This resounding victory propelled Al-Diriyah to second place with 46 points, igniting the battle for direct promotion. Meanwhile, the heavy defeat dealt a blow to Al-Jandal's morale, leaving them in 14th place with 21 points, dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Excitement in Al-Ula and Hail

In Hafr Al-Batin, Al-Ula deepened the wounds of their host, Al-Batin, by defeating them with a clean goal in a tactical match, raising Al-Ula’s tally to 43 points in third place, strongly competing for promotion tickets, while Al-Batin’s historic suffering this season continued as they remained in second-to-last place with only 8 points.

In Hail, Al-Jabalain capitalized on home advantage and the support of their fans to defeat Al-Bukairiyah 2-1, raising their points tally to 39 in fifth place and keeping their hopes alive in the competition, while Al-Bukairiyah's points tally remained at 33 in sixth place.

Arabism and the exciting comeback

The match between Al-Jubail and Al-Orouba was a thriller, featuring dramatic twists and turns that ended with Al-Orouba winning 3-2. This valuable victory raised Al-Orouba's points tally to 43, placing them fourth (tied with Al-Ula), while Al-Jubail's situation worsened as they remained at the bottom of the table with 8 points.

The context of the competition and the importance of the Yellow League

These results are of paramount importance given the significant development of the Yelo League, which has garnered widespread public and media attention as the main gateway to the Saudi Professional League (SPL), a league that has captured global attention. The fierce competition at the top of the table between Abha, Al-Diriyah, Al-Ula, and Al-Orouba reflects the clubs' strong desire to compete among the elite, especially with the substantial support provided by the Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to develop the infrastructure and technical level of First Division clubs, in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 goals for the sports sector.

Norwegian star Erling Haaland, the striker for Manchester City, confirmed that physical fatigue cannot be considered an excuse for his lower goal-scoring rate at the start of 2026, stressing his full commitment to demanding better performances from himself to maintain his team's hopes of achieving a historic feat by competing for four titles this season.

Haaland's comments came after his heroic performance in the top match of the round, where he scored the decisive winning goal in stoppage time from a penalty kick, leading the Citizens to a valuable 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, a win that kept the gap with leaders Arsenal at just six points in the heated Premier League race.

Haaland's stats and response to criticism

Although the Norwegian striker has scored 28 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions this season, he is experiencing a relative goal drought in open play in the league. He hasn't found the net from a well-worked move since December 20th and has only managed three goals in his last 13 matches. Haaland, 25, commented on this situation, saying: "Of course, I haven't scored enough goals since the start of the year, and I'm fully aware that I need to improve. I need to be sharper and more clinical in front of goal, and that's what I'll be working hard on.".

context of competition and physical stress

These comments come as an indirect response to concerns raised by his Spanish coach, Pep Guardiola, who stated last month that his top scorer was suffering from "fatigue" due to the congested fixture schedule. Manchester City faces an extremely busy schedule, competing on four fronts: the Premier League, the upcoming League Cup final against Arsenal next month, the Champions League round of 16, and a fourth-round FA Cup tie against Salford (League Two).

Haaland refused to give in to the idea of ​​fatigue, explaining: "I don't want to talk about my declining performance and I don't think there are excuses. Fatigue is mostly a mental issue. Yes, the schedule is busy and there are many matches, but the most important thing for me is to maintain my fitness and be ready to help the team at any time.".

A dramatic scenario at Anfield

Liverpool's match was a true test of champion's character, as City were close to falling nine points behind Arsenal after Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai gave the Reds the lead with a superb free-kick six minutes from time. However, Haaland demonstrated his immense value by setting up Bernardo Silva's equalizer, before remaining calm amidst the roar of the Liverpool fans to score the decisive penalty that revived the title race.

Manchester City will be looking to increase the pressure on league leaders Arsenal when they face Fulham on Wednesday, with a win potentially cutting the gap to three points temporarily before the Gunners play Brentford. Haaland concluded defiantly: "We've learned from past experiences that the title race isn't over until the final whistle. My focus is entirely on the Fulham game now because there's still a long way to go.".

Zenit Saint Petersburg officials have successfully finalized the loan signing of Colombian striker John Duran from Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr until the end of the current season. This agreement follows a series of intensive negotiations that culminated in a successful deal, with all financial and contractual details settled between the parties involved to ensure the player's transfer and the start of his new chapter in the Russian Premier League.

Informed sources revealed that the transfer fee for John Duran to the Russian club was $2.5 million (two and a half million US dollars), the amount Al-Nassr will receive for loaning the player for six months. This move comes as part of Al-Nassr's investment strategy, which aims to maximize financial returns from player contracts, especially those of players who are no longer part of the first team's plans.

Duran's move to Russia proved to be an ideal solution to the recent crisis. The player, who was on loan to Turkish club Fenerbahçe, refused to extend his loan spell there, prompting Al-Nassr's management to quickly secure a new destination that would guarantee the player's participation and generate revenue for the club. The transfer to Zenit is considered a new opportunity for the Colombian striker to prove his abilities in a league characterized by its physicality and high level of competition.

Meanwhile, within the Al-Nassr camp, the first football team is enjoying a period of great technical and morale stability, having secured a valuable and well-deserved victory in their last match in the Saudi Professional League. The win came against their traditional rivals, Al-Ittihad, with a score of 2-0, in the Saudi football classic held at Al-Awwal Park Stadium.

This victory not only secured Al-Nassr three crucial points in the league race, but also underscored the squad's depth and the coach's ability to manage absences and departures. This sends a positive message to fans that loaning out some players will not negatively impact the team's structure, which is steadily progressing towards competing for domestic and continental titles. These moves in the transfer market demonstrate the club's administrative maturity in handling foreign player recruitment, serving the club's best interests both technically and financially.