N’Golo Kante opens his Al-Ittihad account with a long-range SCREAMER, Neymar and Co. are held to a draw and an ex-Liverpool star scores a brace in all the latest Saudi League action

• N’Golo Kante scored his first goal for the club during a 2-1 win over Al Fateh FC
• Elsewhere, a former Liverpool star scored a brace during Al-Ettifaq’s big win 
• Click here to watch the IAKO Battle of Old Trafford YouTube Special from the Mail Sport Studios 

N’Golo Kante opened his Al-Ittihad goalscoring account in emphatic fashion after scoring a long-range screamer in their 2-1 league win on Thursday night. 

The French midfielder, who secured a free move to the Saudi side in June, the all-important winner for his side against Al Fateh FC. 

Kante, 32, collected the ball on the edge of the area, just before half-time, before unleashing an effort at goal which cannoned off the crossbar and flew into the net. 

The World Cup winner’s strike, which sent them top of the table, came after Marwane Saadane opened the scoring for the visitors and Romarinho’s leveller. 

Ex-Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema well be grateful that his former national team-mate managed to get the job done in his absence, with the striker currently ill.

N’Golo Kante scored his first goal for Al-Ittihad during their 2-1 win on Thursay night

The former Chelsea midfielder created space on the edge of the box before scoring the winner

Former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum scored a brace in Al-Ettifaq’s 4-3 win

Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson (middle) find themselves fourth in the league table 

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Elsewhere in the league’s action, Neymar and Al-Hilal were held to a 1-1 draw with Damac FC. 

The former Barcelona and PSG star was unable to make the difference for his side following goals from Nicolae Stanciu and Malcom. 

Despite being held to the draw, Neymar’s side still sit second in the Saudi Pro League table with 17 points thus far. 

In perhaps the most thrilling match of the night, former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum scored a brace during Al-Ettifaq’s 4-3 victory over Al Taee. 

Former Fulham and Celtic striker Moussa Dembele also bagged a brace for Steven Gerrard’s side to help secure the win, following a hat-trick from the visitors’ Bernard Mensah. 

That result takes Gerrard’s side to fourth in the table and just two points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad. 

In one of the other games, Yannick Carrasco and Ever Banega were on hand to help Al Shabbab earn a 4-1 victory over Al Hazem. 

Former Sevilla midfielder Banega scored a brace on the night to ensure the hosts walked away will all three points. 

And in the final game of the evening, Al-Taawoun beat Al-Raed thanks to goals from Joao Pedro and Waleed Al-Ahmad. 

Neymar was unable to help Al-Hilal to a victory over Damac FC, instead being held to a 1-1 draw

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