Tijjani Reijnders beats Manchester City start with Al Qadsiah goal

Tijjani Reijnders has made a quicker scoring start with Al Qadsiah than he managed during his opening matches for Manchester City, finding the net in his team’s Roshn Saudi League meeting with Al Ahli on Tuesday.

The Netherlands midfielder started the sixth-round fixture at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam and opened the scoring after 14 minutes. Reijnders collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area before striking a powerful effort past Al Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

It was Reijnders’ second goal for Al Qadsiah since joining the club during last summer’s transfer window from Manchester City. The goal also marked his second appearance for the Saudi Arabian side in which he has found the net.

His first came during Al Qadsiah’s 2-0 victory over Neom in the third round of the Roshn Saudi League. Reijnders scored in only his second appearance for the club, having moved to Saudi Arabia after leaving Manchester City.

The 27-year-old has therefore scored twice in the early stages of his Al Qadsiah career. That is already more than he managed in his first four matches for Manchester City last season, when he scored once.

His only goal during that opening spell for the Premier League champions came against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first round of the league campaign.

Reijnders’ move to Al Qadsiah made him the most expensive signing in the club’s history. The Saudi side reportedly paid Manchester City 61m euros for the Netherlands international during the summer transfer window.

The midfielder’s latest strike was shared in a video showing his powerful finish, with the accompanying caption celebrating him as the player who put Al Qadsiah ahead against Al Ahli.

Reijnders joined Manchester City before his move to Al Qadsiah and is now attempting to establish himself as an important player in Saudi Arabia. His goal against Al Ahli was his latest contribution in a side that began the sixth round of the Roshn Saudi League with his former club already behind him in terms of his personal scoring record from the opening stages of a season.