MW30 Talking Points: Ronaldo joy, Quinones in pole, Al Ettifaq's super Saudis | OneFootball

You can feel the tension in the air as the end of the season approaches, and only four full rounds remaining in this gripping edition of the Roshn Saudi League.

In another eventful matchweek of action, there are still battles aplenty to be decided. While our latest three days of football went some way to answering those questions, there's so much up for grabs.

With that in mind, here are the major storylines from another massively consequential round of the RSL.

Al Nassr edge ever closer

You could almost sense the relief around Al Awwal Park when Al Nassr defeated Al Ahli 2-0 after a hard-fought 100-odd minutes.

The contest was more tough and gritty than showcasing scintillating play, as Al Nassr were made to work massively for the victory that reestablished their eight-point lead at the top of the table.

Two goals in the final 15 minutes did the damage - Cristiano Ronaldo’s superb header followed by Kingsley Coman’s spectacular half-volley - and, while emotions spilled over at full-time, it illustrated just how much this means to the players involved.

While the loss all but rules recently crowned double Asian champions Al Ahli out of title contention - they stay third, but are 13 points back - it’s now 16 straight RSL wins for Jorge Jesus’ frontrunners.

Of course, second-placed Al Hilal still have a game in hand, but they’re fast running out of time to make it count. In Riyadh on Wednesday, though, it was Al Nassr’s night. Just ask the delighted Ronaldo.

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Saudis lead way in Dammam

Al Ettifaq haven’t given up hope of a top-six finish after a 3-1 win at Al Okhdood, which would see them qualify for continental football.

What’s more, if it was our foreign players and coaches stealing the limelight elsewhere in Matchweek 30, Al Ettifaq’s impressive run of form is Saudi inspired.

From Saad Al Shehri in the dugout, to Khalid Al Ghannam on the pitch, both are reaping the reward of opportunity. Al Shehri has only further enhanced his burgeoning reputation after last season’s super showing.

While Al Ghannam, in a FIFA World Cup year, has perhaps timed his run perfectly, especially with a new manager in charge of the Green Falcons.

Finding the net yet again and then teeing up captain Georginio Wijnaldum, Al Ghannam took his RSL tally this term to 11 goals and five assists - more goal contributions than he managed in the previous five seasons combined.

The Saudi winger sits behind only Wijnaldum for impact at Al Ettifaq this campaign, delivering on the potential he’s always had.

Quinones aiming for history

With another two goals in a 4-0 thrashing of Al Riyadh, Julian Quinones is fast closing in on the magical 30-goal barrier as he also crept ahead of Ivan Toney in the race for the golden boot.

At 28 for the 2025-26 RSL, and with potentially four games still to play, Quinones is aiming to become only the third player after Abderrazak Hamdallah and Cristiano Ronaldo to net 30 or more times in a single top-flight season.

Julian Quinones' brace at Al Riyadh moves the Al Qadsiah hotshot top of RSL scoring charts

It seems it’s either feast or famine for the Mexico international in recent weeks. After scoring in 11 out of 13 appearances across January and February, his past seven weeks have gone 0, 2, 0, 2, 0, 0, 2.

While that is still six goals in seven games - an impressive return in anyone’s mind - there’s no doubt Quinones will be looking for more consistency to round out the campaign. And, you never know, maybe even notch the seven goals needed to reel Ronaldo’s record from two seasons ago.

No Donis, no worries

Al Khaleej were thrown a curveball with the departure of their manager last week, with Georgios Donis taking up the post with the Saudi Arabia national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.

Although, in Gustavo Poyet, who won last season’s K League with Asian heavyweights Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Al Khaleej have a more-than-capable replacement. Especially after the Uruguayan got his RSL account up and running with a 3-1 victory against already relegated Al Najmah.

It helped arrest something of a slump for Al Khaleej following their scintillating start to the season: they’d won once in previous 13 RSL fixtures, sliding from a high of sixth all the way down to 11th.

If the new-manager bounce can continue, Al Khaleej will be hoping to secure a place in the top half of the table come the campaign’s conclusion.

Al Okhdood's plight deepens

Al Okhdood had one last roll of the dice with a second coaching change of the season in recent weeks. However, despite a win in their first game under Fathi Al Jabel, a run of three straight defeats has left them staring into the relegation void.

With four games remaining, and with only 16 points to their name, Al Okhdood sit second bottom, eight points from safety and with a daunting clash against Al Ahli, the back-to-back Asian champions, to come next time out.

Without a win in that game, and depending on results in other fixtures, that might be enough to officially seal their fate. That is, join bottom club Al Najmah is sliding into the second tier.