The early contenders are finding different ways to win

Cristiano Ronaldo returned from the bench against Al Riyadh with much of Al Nassr’s work already done. His side were three goals ahead when he came on, and his late finish from Ayman Yahya’s cutback completed a comfortable victory. It was another addition to an extraordinary scoring record, but for Ange Postecoglou the more useful encouragement had come during the hour before his captain entered the game.

Al Nassr have opened their title defence with seven goals and two clean sheets. They beat Al Fateh with three goals without reply, then added four against Al Riyadh. The second performance drew contributions from different parts of the side: Abdulelah Al Amri headed in from Angelo’s corner, Angelo scored himself before the interval and Joao Felix added another after the break. Ronaldo then supplied the last goal, rather than being required to provide the first answer.

That distribution gives Postecoglou room to manage the team while an important player completes his return. It would be excessive to draw a season’s conclusions from two matches, but the champions have not had to wait for their leading name to settle before producing chances and taking them. The opening results give the coach something concrete to preserve as the schedule becomes more demanding.

Al Hilal have matched their rivals with six points and seven goals. Their opening victory over Al Faisaly was followed by a more secure evening at Al Fayha, where Sergej Milinkovic Savic put them ahead after Crysencio Summerville’s shot was saved. The first goal arrived after the hosts had resisted for half an hour, requiring Al Hilal to keep their attack moving rather than expect an immediate reward.

Sultan Mandash added the second soon after the interval, running onto Kalidou Koulibaly’s pass, and Nasser Al Dawsari supplied a late third. Summerville missed a penalty, but that did not prevent Al Hilal from recording their first clean sheet of the campaign. There was useful variety in the way the goals were created, and the result offered a steadier defensive picture than the opening match, in which Al Faisaly had scored twice.

For Simone Inzaghi, those contributions matter alongside the summer’s attention on attacking recruitment. A forward line benefits when midfielders arrive to finish a rebound or a defender can start a move with an accurate longer pass. The first two rounds have given Al Hilal goals from several sources. Keeping that distribution as new players arrive will be part of the work, rather than assuming every improvement has to come from the transfer market.

Al Ahli have also started with two wins under Marino Pusic. A narrow victory at promoted Diriyah was followed by a much more comfortable home match against Abha, with Ivan Toney scoring three times and Francisco Trincao adding the other goal. After a summer that brought changes in the dugout and among senior players, an established scorer has supplied continuity while a new arrival has begun to contribute beside him.

The contrast between those two wins is useful. Al Ahli first had to protect a small advantage, then found a game in which they could build a much larger one. Toney’s finishing gives Pusic a dependable point of reference, but Trincao’s involvement also matters as the new attack takes shape. There will be stronger tests than Abha, and there is no need to mistake a comfortable result for proof that every question from the summer has been resolved.

Al Ittihad’s second match offered considerably less comfort. George Ilenikhena scored the only goal away to Al Qadsiah in first half added time, then Dion Lopy’s dismissal early in the second period left Jens Wissing’s team protecting the lead with ten men. Al Qadsiah created repeated opportunities, but Predrag Rajkovic and the defence kept the visitors ahead until the end.

That was a valuable recovery after Al Ittihad had begun with a draw against Al Kholood. The points did not come through sustained control of the ball or an abundance of chances. They came from taking one opening and defending it through a difficult half. Wissing will want fewer matches to require that kind of resistance, especially when a sending off has added to the problem, but his side showed they could protect a result in unfavourable circumstances.

Al Qadsiah have a different performance to assess. After beating Al Shabab in the opener, they spent much of the next game trying to find a goal that never counted. Julian Quinones had a finish ruled out, and the pressure on Al Ittihad did not become an equaliser. Tijjani Reijnders made his league debut from the bench in a match that demanded patience against a crowded defence, a quick introduction to one of the problems his new side will need to solve.

The table leaves Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli on six points, Al Ittihad on four and Al Qadsiah on three. Those small differences are still easy to change, but the opening rounds have shown that the contenders will not all take the same route through a game. Al Nassr have shared the scoring before Ronaldo’s return, Al Hilal have found goals throughout the side, Al Ahli have relied on Toney’s familiar finishing and Al Ittihad have already needed their goalkeeper and defence to preserve a narrow win.

The coming meetings between them will provide a clearer comparison, including Al Hilal’s game against Al Ahli on September 1. Until then, the useful evidence is in the work each team has already done. Maximum points are welcome, a difficult away win can establish confidence and a defeat despite pressure can expose something to improve. Two rounds have given the coaches plenty to examine without giving anyone enough grounds to consider the title race settled.