Al Nassr Shine and Samu Costa Stars as Saudi Pro League Returns with Action-Packed Opener

Al Nassr kicked off their Saudi Pro League title defence with a comfortable win over Al Fateh at the weekend. It was a first look at the champions under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, the Australian who replaced title-winning coach Jorge Jesus over the summer. The early signs look good, even though the Australian famously tends to win trophies in his second season at his previous clubs.

“It was a good game for us,” the former Celtic and Tottenham manager said. “It's always difficult, first game of any new season. With a preseason we had, and players coming in at different times, maybe we weren't 100 per cent ready, but the players' attitude and the commitment they had was fantastic.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, fresh from marrying his long-time partner Georgina Rodriguez, was left out of the squad. Many have questioned how – or if – the Portuguese striker will fit into Postecoglou's 'Angeball' philosophy of high-possession, high-intensity football built around taking the game to the opposition rather than reacting to them. The superstar striker, 41, has been given an extended leave after his World Cup exertions for Portugal and his recent wedding.

And while most eyes at Al Awwal Park were fixated on one Portuguese in the stands, they also had an eye on another. Samu Costa had a debut to remember. Seven minutes after his introduction, the former Mallorca man thrashed home a shot to seal all three points for the champions. Judging by his teammates' reaction, Costa has already endeared himself to the squad. The 25-year-old only arrived in Riyadh last Wednesday, and four days later, made his Nassr bow.

“It's the perfect debut,” Costa said. “I'm very happy for the team. We work a lot this week and the team are very focused, and we deserve the three points and the clean sheet. So, I'm very happy and the teammates were perfect with me. So adapting was easy.”

Costa was brought in over the summer to replace Marcelo Brozovic, the popular Croatian who anchored the side to a first title in seven years. The Nassrawi now look to have a new hero in their midst. “Since I arrived in Riyadh, I saw the support they gave me and I'm so happy,” Costa said. “This is my new family, and I will give my life for this.”

Julian Quinones outscored the likes of Ronaldo, Ivan Toney and Karim Benzema last season to walk away with the coveted SPL Golden Boot. His 33 league goals fired Al Qadsiah to a fourth-place finish. Quinones then scored the first goal of the 2026 World Cup as co-hosts Mexico beat South Africa to open the tournament, scoring a further three goals as Mexico reached the last 16 before being eliminated by England. On Thursday, Quinones picked up where he left off, adding his name to the scoresheet as Qadsiah kicked off their season with a 3-1 win over Al Shabab.

“It’s always important to start on the right foot,” Quinones said. Qadsiah had begun the match on the back foot, conceding a Hammam Al Hammami goal after 15 minutes before Mohammed Abu Al Shamat's equaliser in the 35th minute restored parity. Quinones then put his side ahead, and substitute Turki Al Ammar sealed the three points with Qadsiah's third in injury time.

Meanwhile, a 4-2 scoreline suggested Al Hilal enjoyed a comfortable outing against promoted Al Faisaly, though things threatened to unravel after they led 3-0 through penalties from Karim Benzema and Ruben Neves alongside a Malcom goal. Faisaly scored twice through Alexandre Mendy and Theo Bongonda before Al Hilal sealed the victory with a late penalty dispatched by Ruben Neves in the 88th minute.

The Portugal midfielder was in no mood to ignore Hilal's second-half drop-off. “First 45 minutes, we just controlled all the game,” Neves said. “Second half, we dropped a little bit the quality, we dropped a little bit the focus, and, in this league, it's not allowed any more to go down and to drop in these statistics. We need to improve. We cannot concede two goals playing at home, winning 3-0, controlling all the game.”