
Domestic Leagues
In Qatar, Al Duhail SC defeated Qatar SC 4-1 while Sharjah maintained their lead in the UAE Pro League with victory against Khor Fakkan.
There were also matches in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman as several West Asian domestic leagues resumed following the conclusion of the 2024 Gulf Cup.
Saudi Arabia: Al Hilal back on top
Al Hilal overcame King's Cup disappointment by regaining the Saudi Pro League top spot with a 5-0 win over Al Orobah.
Ruben Neves (16th, penalty), Ali Albulayhi (48th), Renan Lodi (68th) and Marcos Leonardo (75th, 78th) found the back of the net as Al Hilal moved up to 37 points, level with Al Ittihad but with a superior goal difference.
Al Ittihad lost the top spot after being held 1-1 by Al Feiha on Saturday, with the match seeing a dramatic ending.
Al Feiha took the lead in the first minute of time added on at the end of the second half through Fashion Sakala but Fawaz Ali Marzooq salvaged a point by netting the equaliser two minutes later.
Al Nassr leapfrogged Al Qadisiyah - who lost 3-0 to Al Taawoun - into third place after a 3-1 defeat of Al Akhdoud. Both on 28 points.
Al Hilal, the defending champions, started the week by exiting the King's Cup after a 3-1 defeat on penalties to Al Ittihad, with the quarter-final having ended 2-2 after 120 minutes.
Al Qadisiyah packed too much power for Al Taawoun, cruising to a 3-0 win while Al Shabab defeated Al Feiha 2-1. The fourth quarter-final saw Al Raed edging Al Jabalain 4-3 on penalties after the tie ended 1-1.
The semi-finals, scheduled for April 1, will see Al Qadisiyah facing Al Raed while Al Ittihad will meet Al Shabab.
Qatar: Al Duhail cruise past Qatar SC
Homan El Amin and Almoez Ali scored braces as Al Duhail SC resumed their charge for the Qatar Stars League title with a 4-1 win against Qatar SC on Sunday.
El Amin scored in the 11th and 36th minutes with Ali netting at the very end as Al Duhail moved to 28 points, three in front of Al Sadd SC and Al Ahli.
Defending champions Al Sadd defeated Al Shamal 1-0 to sit ahead of Al Ahli on goal difference.
Al Sadd struck through Yusuf Abdurisag Yusuf in the 74th minute to take the points against Al Shamal on Sunday.
Al Ahli were involved in a nine-goal thriller, beating 10-man Al Wakrah with a remarkable 6-3 score.
Al Gharafa defeated Al Khor 3-1 to occupy fourth spot with 24 points.
UAE: Sharjah edge Khor Fakkan to stay ahead
Tyrone Conrad scored in the 89th minute as Sharjah defeated Khor Fakkan 1-0 to maintain their lead in the UAE Pro League.
The win took Sharjah to 39 points, two ahead of Shabab Al Ahli who edged Al Ain FC 1-0 with Sardar Azmoun scoring the winner in the 34th minute.
Al Wahda are third on 22 points after being held to a goalless stalemate by Al Jazira with Al Nasr level with them following a 3-2 defeat of Al Ittihad Kalba.
Bahrain: Al Riffa end Muharraq's unbeaten run
Al Riffa turned on the power to defeat Muharraq 2-0 as the pacesetters suffered their first defeat of the Bahraini Premier League season.
Husain Al Eker (10th) and Samy Frioui (63rd) did the damage as Muharraq's lead was cut to just one point by Al Najma.
Al Najma capitalised on Muharraq's defeat by beating A'Ali to move up to 16 points, with Al Khalidiya a further one adrift following a 3-0 win against Bahrain. Al Riffa are fourth with 14 points.
Iraq: Air Force SC held by Al Talaba
Air Force SC came from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw with Al Talaba to stay top of the Iraq Stars League.
Shefif Abdul Kadhim put Al Talaba ahead in the 38th minute with Alaa Abbas equalising in the 82nd minute as Air Force SC moved up to 28 points, two ahead of Al Shorta.
Al Shorta failed to take advantage of Air Force SC dropping points after being held 0-0 by Al Najaf while Zakho and Al Zawraa moved within a point of them with victories.
Zakho defeated Diyala 3-0 while Al Zawraa edged Al Kahraba 1-0.
Kuwait: Al Arabi pull level with Kuwait SC
Al Arabi took full advantage of Kuwait SC suffering defeat to move level at the top on 27 points after a 3-0 win against Kazma.
Hamza Khabba (32nd, 50th) and Salman Al Awadhi (85th) delivered the goals for Al Arabi.
Kuwait SC's perfect run was halted by Al Qadsia, who won 2-1 thanks to strikes from Mohammed Salih Ali (26th) and Ismail Khafi (80th). Yousef Nasser had equalised for Kuwait SC in the 61st minute.
The win kept Al Qadsia third in the standings on 19 points.
Oman: Al Nahda end Al Seeb's perfect run
Al Nahda held Al Seeb SC to a 1-1 draw in a top-of-the-table clash as the pacesetters’ winning run in the Oman Pro League was halted at 10 games.
The result, however, maintained Al Seeb's four-point lead at the top.
Oman Club failed to take advantage of the top two dropping points after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Bahla to remain on 21 points, with fourth-placed Bahla moving up to 15 points.