It is set to be a tight relegation battle in the Saudi Pro League but Al Fateh and Al Raed each earned important victories thanks to their African stars on Thursday.
Fateh are no longer at the foot of the table after a 1-0 home victory over Al Orubah in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. The club's North African dynamic duo of Moroccan forward Mourad Batna and Algerian attacker Sofiane Bendebka were influential again with Batna producing a stroke of brilliance in the first half.
The 34-year-old cleverly curled in a free kick from out wide for his club leading 6th goal of the campaign. Fateh now have safety within their sights after a new head coach boost under former Zamalek boss José Gomes, sitting one point behind 15th placed Raed who moved out of the drop zone for the time being with a 3-1 victory at Al Riyadh.
The joy was palpable for the players of Raed who endured a nine-match losing streak before Thursday's victory. All three goals for the visitors involved African contributions. Liberia under-20 international Solomon Tweh, recently acquired from Senegalese club football, assisted Saleh Al Amri's opening goal in the 18th minute.
Raed's Moroccan captain Karim El Berkaoui scored the second goal, his 6th of the season, and Algerian star Amir Sayoud confirmed victory with a late goal even after Raed were reduced to ten players earlier in the second half.
Raed are in 15th place, the last spot before the drop zone, with only one point separating them from both Al Fateh and Al Okhdoud. Sayoud and El Berkaoui are the talismanic attackers for the Buraidah based club and will be important factors if Raed escape relegation.
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