Sports
Neom 1-3 Al-Ittihad: Bergwijn stars to secure fourth consecutive win
Steven Bergwijn scored and assisted for Al-Ittihad as they defeated Neom 3-1 in the Saudi Pro League.
A superb free-kick from Said Benrahma cancelled out Roger Fernandes’ opener, but Bergwijn managed to find the net in the 68th minute before Ahmed Al Ghamdi made sure of three points for his side at King Khalid Sport City Stadium in second-half stoppage time.
After a tentative start from both sides, Al-Ittihad took the lead after 14 minutes. Bergwijn picked up the ball on the right wing before floating a cross to the far post, where Fernandes was on hand to convert home with a diving header.
Karim Benzema and Muhannad Al Shanqiti both missed chances to double their lead, and they were made to pay when Benrahma’s free-kick shortly before the half-hour mark could only be tipped onto the inside of the post and in by Predrag Rajkovic.
After Neom made a fast start to the second half, Al-Ittihad quickly found their rhythm to take the lead as Bergwijn swept past Luis Maximiano with a first-time finish from Moussa Diaby’s cutback.
Neom had a golden chance to equalise when Ahmed Abdu was bearing down on goal in the 83rd minute, but the forward snatched at his effort and fired well over the bar from inside the box, before Fabinho also cleared Luciano Rodríguez’s header off the line in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Ahmed Al Ghamdi went on to make sure of the win for the visitors in the 96th minute, curling into the top-right corner after a swift counter-attack.
| Highlights from #Alittihad_Neom game pic.twitter.com/KOVB64N0xr
— Al-Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) December 31, 2025
Data Debrief: Another happy away day for Al-Ittihad
Despite some worries after Benrahma’s free-kick, Al-Ittihad managed to secure a well-deserved victory. They produced 1.7 expected goals (xG) from four shots on target compared to Neom’s 1.26 from three such attempts.
And Bergwijn was influential in the win, scoring with his only shot in the match, while also creating the joint-most chances for his side (two), completing the most passes in the final third (18) and winning six of his nine duels.
Al‑Ittihad are now unbeaten in their last eight away matches in the league (W6 D2), the first time they have achieved such a run since going eight unbeaten on the road between May and October 2023 (W5 D3).
