In Riyadh, there were no goals in the 20th round of the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Hilal and guest Al-Ahli Jeddah at the Kingdom Arena. The match was dominated by defensive discipline for most of the game. Al-Nassr played without its Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo and Frenchman Camavinga, amid reports that the former's absence was due to his protest against the management of transfers during the winter transfer window. Al-Nassr is still unable to meet its needs just hours before the window closes, a period of maximum excitement in the camps of Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ittihad. The result allowed Al-Hilal to maintain the top spot with 47 points, but the gap to their rival Al-Nassr was reduced to one point after the latter's 1-0 victory over Al-Riyadh thanks to Sadio Mané's goal. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli dropped to third place with 44 points, trailing the leaders by three points and the second-placed team by two. Sadio Mané, the 'Tranga Lions', scored the only goal of the match in the 40th minute after receiving a brilliant pass from Portuguese João Félix over the defenders. The highlights of the match included an Englishman Ivan Toney's header that hit the post for Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the second half, a disallowed goal for Salem Al-Dawsari in the 85th minute for offside, and a red card for the referee.
