Jawwy Elite League begins with 36-goal opening round as Al-Hazem stumble

The second edition of the Jawwy Elite League Under-21 competition began with 36 goals in 11 matches, including a record-breaking victory for Al-Ettifaq and a surprise defeat for defending champions Al-Hazem.

Al-Ettifaq made the strongest possible start by beating Al-Tadamon 10-1, the biggest win of the opening round. Their emphatic result immediately established them as the competition’s leading attacking force and provided an early indication of their ambitions.

The opening three days also produced several other convincing victories, with Al-Ansar beating Al-Fateh 6-0, Al-Ahli defeating Al-Fayha 3-1 and Al-Khaleej overcoming Al-Qadsiah by the same scoreline.

Al-Ettifaq’s performance was the standout attacking display of the round. They scored 10 times against Al-Tadamon in a match that turned into a goal festival from the early stages, underlining the quality and attacking potential within their squad.

Mohamed Al-Eissa was the principal figure in that victory, scoring a “super hat-trick” as Al-Ettifaq made their mark at the beginning of the campaign.

The goal rush continued across the opening fixtures. Al-Najma beat Al-Taawoun 2-0, while Al-Orobah recorded the same score against Neom. Al-Riyadh secured a narrow 1-0 win over Al-Wehda.

Elsewhere, Al-Hilal began their campaign with a 2-1 victory against Al-Faisaly. Al-Ittihad and Damac played out the only goalless match of the round, sharing the points after a contest in which neither side found the net.

Early battle for the scoring charts

The opening round also featured three hat-tricks, ensuring the individual race for the competition’s leading scorer began at an unusually fast pace.

Ziyad Aba scored three times for Al-Ahli in their 3-1 win against Al-Fayha, while In Ras also claimed a hat-trick for Al-Fateh despite his side’s heavy 6-0 defeat by Al-Ansar.

Those performances give the three scorers an early advantage in what is expected to become a closely contested race over the coming rounds. The number of players making an immediate attacking impact has already suggested that the scoring charts could develop into a major feature of the season.

The biggest surprise of the opening round came from Al-Jabalain, who defeated Al-Hazem 2-1. The result ended the champions’ first match of their title defence without a point and provided an early setback for a team that began the new season hoping to retain the trophy won in the competition’s first edition.

Al-Hazem had taken the lead but were unable to protect their advantage, allowing Al-Jabalain to complete a notable victory. The result also sent an early warning to the rest of the league that Al-Jabalain will not be an easy opponent.

Al-Hilal’s successful start contrasted with Al-Ittihad’s draw. The Riyadh side took all three points against Al-Faisaly, while Al-Ittihad collected one point from their goalless meeting with Damac.

Despite the abundance of goals in many matches, six teams were listed as having kept clean sheets during the round: Damac, Al-Ittihad, Al-Fateh, Al-Taawoun, Al-Wehda and Neom.

Two fixtures were postponed until December. Al-Kholood’s match against Al-Okhdood did not take place, while Al-Nassr’s fixture against Al-Watan was also delayed. The full league-table picture will therefore not be complete until those matches have been played.

The combination of Al-Ettifaq’s 10-goal display, three individual hat-tricks and Al-Hazem’s unexpected defeat has given the second edition of the Jawwy Elite League an explosive opening. The early results indicate that the title race is open, while the contest to finish as the competition’s leading scorer has already begun at full speed.