Domestic Leagues
Al Shamal and Qatar SC continued their perfect starts in Qatar while Al Ain and Al Nasr made it two wins out of two in the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia: Al Ittihad kick off title defence in style
Karim Benzema netted a season-opening hat-trick as Al Ittihad began the defence of their Saudi Pro League title with a 5-2 win against Al Akhdoud on Saturday.
Benzema struck in the fourth, 51st and 60th minutes with Steven Bergwijn (7th) and a Saeed Al Rubaie (29th) own goal adding to Al Ittihad's haul. Sebastian Pedroza (27th, 57th) netted both Al Akhdoud goals.
Al Hilal SFC also enjoyed a winning start, with goals from Moteb Al Harbi (22nd) and Malcom (45+3) securing them a 2-0 victory against Al Riyadh.
Joao Felix also starred with a hat-trick in Al Nassr Club's 5-0 win against Al Taawoun, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting his first goal of the season from the penalty spot. Kingsley Coman also got his name on the scoresheet.
Reigning AFC Champions League Elite™ titleholders Al Ahli Saudi FC defeated Neom 1-0, with Ivan Toney netting the winner in the 23rd minute.
In other matches, Al Khaleej defeated Al Shabab 4-1, Al Feiha and Al Ettifaq edged Al Fateh and Al Kholood 2-1 respectively, Al Qadisiyah beat Al Najma Saudi 3-1 while Damac and Al Hazm settled for a 1-1 draw.
Qatar: Al Shamal, Qatar SC stay perfect
Al Shamal and Qatar SC made it three wins out of three as they stayed top of the Qatar Stars League.
Al Shamal, top of the table on goal difference, edged Al Sailiya 2-1 with Alex Collado (26th) and Baghdad Bounedjah (54th) scoring. Al Sailiya, who were reduced to 10 men late into second half added time, had drawn level through Diogo Fonseca Amaro in the 38th minute.
Qatar SC defeated Al Ahli 2-0 with Faiz Selemani (54th) and Joao Pedro Pereira dos Santos (60th) scoring.
Defending champions Al Sadd SC beat Al Gharafa SC 2-0, thanks to goals from Youcef Atal (4th) and Roberto Firmino (51st) finding the back of the net.
Al Duhail SC suffered a second consecutive defeat, with Roger Guedes scoring Al Rayyan SC's winning goal in the 61st minute.
Elsewhere, Al Arabi beat Umm Salal 3-2 while Al Shahania suffered a 1-0 reversal against Al Wakrah.
UAE: Al Ain, Al Nasr set early pace
Al Ain and Al Nasr opened a two-point lead at the top of the UAE Pro League after registering their second consecutive wins.
Al Ain edged 10-man Dibba 3-2, with the winner scored by Houssine Rahimi in the sixth minute of added time at the end of the second half.
The exciting tie saw Kodjo Fo-Doh Labba scoring in the 13th and 33rd minutes for Al Ain, with Carlinhos (48th) and Mohanad Ali (55th) drawing Dibba level, with the home side reduced to 10 men in the third minute of added time following the expulsion of Mayed Ali Abdulrahman.
Al Nasr, second on goal difference, edged 10-man Ajman 1-0, with Abdoulaye Toure scoring the winner in the 71st minute.
Defending champions Shabab Al Ahli and Al Wahda played to a goalless draw, with both sides seeing red cards.
In other matches, Al Dhafra defeated Al Wasl 3-1, Al Bataeh beat Khor Fakkan 2-1 while Al Jazira and Al Ittihad Kalba edged Sharjah and Baniyas 1-0 respectively.
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