RIYADH — Al Nassr disappointed its fans with a shaky start to the Saudi Pro League, drawing 1-1 with visiting team Al Raed at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Al Nassr, opened his and the team's scoring for the new season with a brilliant goal, heading in a cross from Sadio Mané in the 34th minute. Early in the second half, Al Raed was awarded a penalty, and the referee initially showed a red card to Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte. However, after reviewing the decision with VAR, the referee downgraded the card to a yellow and allowed the penalty, which Al Raed's Mohammed Fouzair converted to equalize. Ronaldo nearly put Al Nassr back in the lead in the 76th minute, but his second goal was disallowed after VAR ruled it offside. Despite several attempts by Al Nassr to secure a second goal after the equalizer, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving the Riyadh-based team with a frustrating result. Meanwhile, in Makkah, the match between Al Wehda and visiting team Al Riyadh ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw at King Abdulaziz Stadium. Australian player Craig Goodwin gave Al Wehda the lead in the 40th minute of the first half, but Al Riyadh's new signing, Mensah, equalized early in the second half. Al Riyadh then faced a setback when Hussain Al Nuweiqi was sent off in the 59th minute, leaving the team with ten men. Goodwin capitalized on the confusion following the red card to score his second goal in the 62nd minute, putting Al Wehda back in the lead. However, Al Riyadh's Iraqi player Ibrahim Bayesh equalized five minutes before the end of regular time. The drama continued as Al Wehda seemed to have secured the win with a third goal from Murad Khodari in stoppage time, but Al Riyadh refused to surrender and equalized once more through Luis Carlos, ending the match in a 3-3 draw.
