Al-Batah edged Ittihad 1-0 in their Division 1 Regular Season opener on 21 August.
The result came late, with Ruan Santos converting a penalty in the 88th minute.
It was a narrow victory that lifted the hosts up the table.
And here's the thing about penalties — they settle matches when everything else feels uncertain.
Santos stepped up when the game needed deciding.
By then, both sides had tested each other without finding a breakthrough.
The numbers tell a story of possession without penetration.
Ittihad held 57 per cent of the ball and registered 68 attacks, yet managed only two shots on target.
Al-Batah, with 43 per cent possession, landed four attempts on goal and took advantage of one.
To be fair, this was only the first match of the season, so the table carries little weight.
Yet Al-Batah moved into fifth place with four points from three games, while Ittihad sat eleventh on one point from two outings.
The hosts had something to build on.
One goal, one chance taken — that's how these seasons often begin.
The rest is just noise until the next fixture.
Al-Batah will want to carry that momentum forward.
It remains to be seen whether this was a sign of things to come.
