Al-Ittihad and Al-Holood shared the points at King Abdullah Sports City on Friday evening, drawing 1:1 in the opening round of the Pro League regular season. The hosts took the lead through Youssef En Nesyri in the forty-third minute, only for Julien Domingues to respond shortly after half-time. Danilo Pereira's dismissal in the fifty-eighth minute shifted the balance completely.
And here's the thing — the penalty miss by Houssem Aouar in the thirty-second minute felt like a warning. Al-Ittihad built pressure in the first half, creating five big chances against four for their visitors. En Nesyri made them pay, finishing from close range after sustained attacking play. By then the home side had already seen Coba Da Costa booked for Al-Holood.
The second half opened with a home substitution, but the rhythm changed when Domingues levelled in the fifty-second minute. Pereira went down in the box moments later, and the red card meant Al-Ittihad had to chase the game with ten men. They kept knocking on the door, but the visitors held firm despite playing with more composure.
Al-Holood made their first change in the sixty-second minute, bringing on Rami Solan. Domingues himself was replaced in the seventy-third, suggesting the visitors were happy to see out the result. Al-Ittihad threw bodies forward — En Nesyri came off in the eighty-second — but the equaliser stood.
The statistics told a different story from the result. Al-Ittihad registered 2.34 expected goals against four shots on target, while Al-Holood produced 2.27 expected goals with five shots on target. Both sides created similar opportunities, but the red card meant the visitors had less pressure to contain.
To be fair, neither side deserved to lose. Al-Ittihad remain fourth with eleven points from five games, while Al-Holood sit sixth on nine points. Both sides are unbeaten, and this draw kept that pattern intact for both clubs.