Matchday 9 witnessed several thrilling events.

The ninth round of the Joy Elite League Under-21s for the 2026-2027 season has come to a close, with matches played on Sunday and Monday, 1 and 2 November. Only the Al-Tadamon and Al-Hilal fixture was postponed.

There was plenty to savour. A thrilling draw in the Jeddah derby, a storming comeback from Al-Najma against Al-Qadsiah and important wins for Al-Nassr and Al-Taawoun, all set against a backdrop of goals aplenty and a flurry of red cards.

Musa Adam rescues Al-Ahli from derby defeat

Al-Ittihad looked to have settled the Jeddah derby against Al-Ahli. Abdulaziz Al-Shamari put them ahead in the 17th minute and they held that lead deep into stoppage time, only for Musa Adam to pop up with the equaliser in the 90+4th minute.

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That point kept Al-Ahli four behind leaders Al-Ittihad, moving them up to 18 points in second. They stay firmly in the title race, refusing to let their rivals pull clear.

Al-Nassr and Al-Taawoun claim three points

Al-Nassr kept their good run going by beating Al-Khaleej 2-0. Abdulrahman Al-Anazi struck both, in the 18th and 45th minutes, to hand his side a valuable win.

Al-Taawoun pounced on the slip-ups of Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli. Abdulmajid Al-Sharif scored in the first and 28th minutes as the visitors returned from Al-Watan Stadium with a 2-0 win, tightening their grip on third and closing the gap on the leaders.

Al-Najma's comeback deepens Al-Qadsiah's wounds

Al-Qadsiah against Al-Najma produced one of the round's finest turnarounds. Muhannad Al-Jizani fired the hosts two goals clear in the 3rd and 26th minutes, but Al-Najma flipped the script after the break.

Jathub Al-Dhafiri pulled one back in the 50th minute. Ronald Viscaino then struck twice, in the 65th and 87th minutes, to complete a 3-2 win and pile fresh misery on Al-Qadsiah after another loss.

Elsewhere, Damac beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2, Al-Wehda edged Al-Orobah 1-0, Al-Ettifaq saw off Al-Ansar 2-1, Al-Fateh breezed past Al-Faisaly 3-0 and Al-Riyadh beat Al-Hazem 1-0. Al-Jabalain and Neom played out a goalless draw, while Al-Feiha and Al-Kholood shared six goals in a 3-2 result.

29 goals and 9 sendings-off in the round

The numbers tell their own story. The round delivered 29 goals across 11 matches, an average of 2.6 per game, down from the 36 goals that came from 12 fixtures in the eighth round.

Three ties topped the scoring charts with five goals apiece: Damac's win over Al-Akhdoud, Al-Najma's victory over Al-Qadsiah and Al-Feiha's win over Al-Kholood.

Referees were busy too. They flashed 52 yellow cards and 9 reds, the highest tally of sendings-off in the competition so far.