In the seventh round of the Saudi League, Riyadh Crescent and Al Dhamak faced off in a summit match. As the champion of the league, Riyadh Crescent started the new season with a strong momentum, with an undefeated record of 5 wins and 1 draw in 6 matches, which puts them at the top of the table, and their offense is on fire, scoring 20 goals in 6 matches, which is frightening. However, Riyadh Crescent's performance in the AFC Champions League was not so good, with only a draw in the first round of the group stage. The team had less than three days' rest after the AFC Champions League, and then went into the league match without stopping, which posed a huge test for the players' physical fitness.
For the match, Riyadh Crescent lined up in a 4231 formation with Mitrovic in goal, Salem Dawasari, Neymar and Malcolm forming an attacking trio, Mohamed Kanu and Milinkovic-Savic as a double back, Dawasari, Blahi, Coulibaly and Blake forming the backline, and Bunu as the starting goalkeeper. The match started with Riyadh Crescent scoring in the 9th minute. Neymar sent a precise direct ball in front of the field, and Dawasari stepped forward into the box and skillfully passed the ball near the bottom line, where Malcolm followed up with a shot that went into the net! Malcolm celebrated with a fist pump and Neymar ran over to hug him. Riyadh Crescent had made a fantastic start to the game. However, five minutes later, a mistake by Bunu allowed a Damac player to get a zero-angle shot near the line, but unfortunately they missed the chance to equalize as the kick went wide. In the second half, the teams went back to the drawing board. 52 minutes in, Neymar stopped the ball on his chest at the front of the box and chose to shoot in front of the keeper, but the ball was kicked high. Mitrovic then had a great chance to get on the scoresheet as well, but his shot from close range was wide. 68 minutes in, Damac equalized. Stanciucci shot straight at the goal from a free kick and the ball went into the net! The former Chinese Super League player earned his team a valuable equalizer. In the 76th minute, Neymar had another chance to face the keeper, but his shot was once again wide. In the end, Riyadh Crescent and Damac drew 1-1, with Neymar missing all three of his shots.
