You may have heard of Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, who are on an astonishing 33-game unbeaten run this season, but did you know that there is an Asian team that is even better than them, having won 25 games in a row, scoring 74 goals, breaking the history of an Asian team and just two games away from the longest winning streak in football? They are the Riyadh Crescent side of the Saudi League, who made a 3-1 win over defending champions Jeddah United in their most recent game to extend their league lead to nine points and put Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi title dream in the air.
Riyadh Crescent are the traditional giants of the Saudi league, having won the AFC Champions League four times, the most in Asia. This season, after introducing many big-name stars such as Neymar, Mitrovic, and Koulibaly, their strength has increased greatly, and the whole team is worth as much as 2400 million euros, ranking first in Asia. Although Neymar was reimbursed for injury at the start of the season, Riyadh Crescent are still formidable, winning 25 games in a row in all competitions, including 15 in the league, not only breaking the record for any team in Asia, but also approaching the Guinness official record for the longest winning streak in football, which was set by Welsh side The New Saints in 2016, and Riyadh Crescent is now just two games away from equalising it, and three more wins will break the miracle.
Riyadh Crescent's winning streak has not been smooth, as they were challenged by defending champions Jeddah United in their most recent fixture, a key game in the Saudi league and a crucial game for Riyadh Crescent to extend their lead as their biggest rivals Riyadh Victory were held to a draw by bottom-placed side Hassum. The Riyadh Crescent suffered a blow from the start of the game, and in the 12th minute, N'Golo Kante of Jeddah United took advantage of a corner kick opportunity and headed past the Riyadh Crescent to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The Riyadh Crescent were not discouraged as they stepped up their attack, and in the 39th minute, they were awarded a corner kick that Al-Dosari had cleared off, but Al-Shehri grabbed the second spot in the box and volleyed the ball into the back of the net to give Riyadh Crescent a 1-1 equaliser. At the end of the first half, the two sides played to a 1-1 draw.
The Riyadh Crescent continued to keep the pressure on from the start of the second half, and their efforts paid off in the 59th minute when Malcolm received a cross from a team-mate in the box and went unmarked to head home with an easy header to put Riyadh Crescent 2-1 up. The Riyadh Crescent were not satisfied and continued to look for opportunities to extend the score, and in the 67th minute, they broke down the opposition defense again, Abduhamid received a pass from his teammate in the penalty area, he knocked the ball with his heel and shook it continuously, got rid of the opponent's defense, and then fired a low shot into the opponent's goal to help the Riyadh Crescent extend the score 3-1. In the end, Riyadh Crescent continued their winning streak with a 3-1 home win over Jeddah United.
The victory left Riyadh Crescent in first place in the Saudi league with 62 points, while leaving the second-placed Riyadh Victory team as many as nine points, and with only eight rounds remaining, they basically bagged the title, which is undoubtedly a huge blow for Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo joined Riyadh Victory in January and was hoping to lead them to the Saudi league title, but his arrival did not change the team's fortunes, as Riyadh Victory fell from first to second last season and finished runners-up in the league. This season, Cristiano Ronaldo led Riyadh Victory to chase Riyadh Crescent, but the point gap has gradually widened, and his Saudi championship dream is far away.
Riyadh Crescent's winning streak has attracted worldwide attention, with many ** and fans marveling at their performance, considering them a miracle in Asian football and a breath of fresh air in football. Their head coach Al-Farah was interviewed after the game, saying that he is very proud of the team's results, that he believes that the team's success comes from the unity and hard work of the players, and that the team will continue to remain focused and humble to break more records and bring glory to Saudi football. He also made a special mention of Cristiano Ronaldo, saying that Ronaldo is his good friend, he respects and admires him, and he hopes that Ronaldo can continue to play at his level in the Saudi league and contribute to the development of Saudi football.
Cristiano Ronaldo also gave his opinion after the game, congratulating the Riyadh Crescent on their winning streak, saying that they are a very strong team and their performance is to be appreciated, and he also congratulated them on winning the Saudi league. He also said that he was disappointed with his team, Riyadh Victory, saying that they have had a lot of difficulties and challenges this season, they have not met their expectations, they need to reflect and improve, and he also said that he will not give up his Saudi championship dream and he will continue to work hard.