LONDON: The Saudi Pro League season is starting to take shape, with reigning champions Al-Nassr and fellow Riyadh giants Al-Hilal leading the way, just as they did last season.

Here are five things we learned from the latest round of matches:

Al-Nassr the comeback kings

How do you beat Al-Nassr? This is a team that does not know when they are defeated.

The champions have been perfect, with 12 points from a possible 12. That does not tell the full story, however, as once again they had to come from behind to win, this time 2-1 against Al-Taawoun.

Just three days after finding themselves two goals and a man down at Ettifaq, before eventually winning 3-2, Ange Postecoglou’s men were a goal down early on.

But there was no panic. The home team heaped the pressure on the visitors and new signing Samu Costa leveled on the stroke of halftime. Then it was Cristiano Ronaldo who got the winner. The megastar had made headlines for being substituted at halftime in the previous game but then popped up to secure another three points for Al-Nassr and it was all smiles once more.

Devastating Hilal swap Benzema for Watkins

With 12 goals in three games and a 5-1 win at Al-Khaleej, Hilal are looking very dangerous in attack. All five came before the break and coach Simone Inzaghi was delighted that there were five separate scorers.

Ivory Coast teenager Mohamed Kader Meite opened his account for the season. Also notable was Crysencio Summerville getting on the scoresheet for the first time since his big move from West Ham.

Going forward the Blues look very good indeed, even if the defense is not yet quite at the same level, though Yassine Bounou’s penalty save was world class. But the philosophy seems to be that Hilal know they will score more than they concede. 

The bad news for the rest of the league is that Ollie Watkins, once one of the top strikers in the English Premier League, has been added, though Karim Benzema looks to be on his way out. The good news for the rest of the league is that Hilal have stiffer opposition to face, starting with Al-Ahli on Tuesday.

Al-Qadsiah bounce back, but Quinones yet to click

Any potential champion must have the ability and mentality to recover quickly from a setback and that is what Al-Qadsiah did with a 3-1 win against Al-Faisaly, their first in 11 years against the men from Harmah. It was a welcome result, as in the previous match the Easterners had thrown everything at 10-man Al-Ittihad before losing 1-0.

There should perhaps have been more goals scored than the three against Faisaly as many chances went begging. Coach Brendan Rodgers did, however, point out that the hot and humid conditions were a factor.

Italian striker Marco Retegui looks sharp and scored his second of the season but last season’s top scorer Julian Quinones has yet to get back to the form that brought him 33 goals last time around. The Mexican marksman has been working hard though and once he gets back to the sharpness of the last campaign then there will be more to come from the Eastern Knights. So far, so good.

Setback for Al-Ahli before huge clash

Al-Ahli fell to a surprise 3-1 loss at Al-Kholood to put the pressure on ahead of Tuesday’s massive match against Al-Hilal in Riyadh. The Greens had the lion’s share of possession and shots but struggled to make their dominance count against the hard-working hosts who scored with their first real attack just after the half hour.

When a fired-up Ivan Toney blasted home midway through the second half it looked as if the Asian champions were going to go on and make it three wins out of three. They poured forward but were caught twice in the final minutes.

There were issues at both ends of the pitch. Not enough clear chances were created despite all the possession and Al-Kholood cut through Al-Ahli too easily. Coach Marino Pusic was full of excuses after the game but knows that his team needs to bounce back quickly. And there can be no better way than to do it against Al-Hilal.

With point to prove, Nunez shines for Diriyah

Darwin Nunez scored twice as the newly promoted Diriyah picked up a hugely impressive 3-0 win at Ettifaq. The Uruguayan is on loan from Al-Hilal where he endured a tough first season in Saudi Arabia after his transfer from Liverpool.

Being seen as surplus to requirements by the most successful club in Saudi Arabia and sent to a newly promoted team must have hurt the forward’s pride but it is often forgotten that he is only 27 and at, or approaching, his peak.

As Liverpool fans know, at times Nunez can be unplayable. Collecting the ball inside the area early on, he smashed a shot high into the net to give the goalkeeper no chance. His running, power and directness, caused problems for the hosts from the start to the finish. Nine minutes from time he sealed the win after playing a part in the team’s second goal.

Diriyah have started the season well and with Nunez in this kind of form, they are going to cause some more established teams lots of problems.