Saudi wrap: João Félix’s stunning hat-trick, Ronaldo golaço; Sérgio Conceição frustrated with Al-Ittihad debut; Neves on target for Al Hilal | OneFootball

It was a busy weekend for the Portuguese contingent in Saudi Arabian football, led by João Félix continuing his incredible start to life at Al Nassr by scoring a remarkable hat-trick in their 5-1 hammering of Al Fateh on Saturday.

Félix’s treble was his second hat-trick of the season and sees him become the top goalscorer in the Pro League with eight. The pick of his goals was the opener, struck from outside the box to give Al Nassr the lead, while his second saw him beat a defender and finish expertly from a tight angle, before Félix completed his hat-trick from a rebound after Sadio Mane drew a save.

Arguably the best goal of the game was scored by Portugal captain Ronaldo, who struck at the perfect time for Al Nassr to re-establish their lead on the hour after Al Fateh had made it 1-1 early in the second half.  Ronaldo left fly from distance with a shot which flew into the top corner, making it four goals in his last three matches for the club.

The victory for Al Nassr maintains the 100% start made by Jorge Jesus’ side as they hope to finally deliver a Pro League title during the Ronaldo era. Their cause was given a minor boost by champions Al-Ittihad failing to win on Sérgio Conceição’s first league match on the bench, during which they were held to a 1-1 draw at Al Fayha.

Conceição’s side, which included Portugal international Danilo Pereira, went behind on the stroke of half time, but levelled on 64 minutes through Ahmed Al Ghamdi. The chance to secure all three points and make it a winning start for the former Porto boss arrived just a few minutes from time, but Karim Benzema saw his late penalty saved by Al Fayha goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.

"I arrived a few days ago, and we need to change a lot of things, including our physical preparation,” Conceição said after the match. “At our current level, we'll have difficulties. Our spirit isn't enough, and there are tactical issues we need to work on. We saw improvements in the second half; the team managed many attacks.

“Benzema missed a penalty? The decision on who should take it is up to the players. I have three players capable of taking penalties,” added Conceição, who has since won his first match with his new club, securing a 4-1 win over Iraqi side Al Shorta in the Asian Champions League on Monday.

Neves spot-on for Al Hilal

Al Hilal, who won the title under Jorge Jesus in 2024, look a strong competitor again this year under esteemed Italian manager Simone Inzaghi. Despite the absence of João Cancelo, Al Hilal crushed Al-Ettifaq 5-0 away from home on Saturday, with former Benfica players Marcos Leonardo and Darwin Nunez both getting braces. Portugal international Ruben Neves also got his name on the scoresheet, converting a penalty which made it 3-0 for his side.

At the end of Matchday 5, Jorge Jesus, Ronaldo and Félix sit top of the table with the full 15 points, two points ahead of Al Qadisiya in second. Al Hilal in in 5th place with 11 points, while Conceição’s Al-Ittihad are in 5th with 10 points.