The 2020–21 Saudi Second Division was the 45th season of the Saudi Second Division since its establishment in 1976. The season started on 30 October 2020 as a consequence of the postponement of the previous season's conclusion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The group stage draw was held on 22 September 2020.[2] The final was played on 19 April 2021 between Al-Akhdoud and Al-Orobah. Al-Akhdoud defeated Al-Orobah 4–2 on penalties (3–3 after extra time) to win their second title and first since 1992.[3]
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 October 2020 – 19 April 2021 |
| Champions | Al-Akhdoud (2nd title) |
| Promoted | Al-Akhdoud Al-Orobah Al-Kholood Bisha |
| Relegated | Al-Hejaz Al-Mujazzal Al-Selmiyah Kumait |
| Matches played | 366 |
| Goals scored | 947 (2.59 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Elhadji Malick Mohammed Salem (22 goals each) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Dahab 5–0 Al-Najma (12 February 2021) Al-Jandal 5–0 Al-Hejaz (26 February 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Hetten 0–5 Al-Washm (11 December 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Afif 3–5 Al-Washm (31 October 2020) Wej 6–2 Al-Selmiyah (14 January 2021) |
| Longest winning run | Al-Washm (6 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Al-Sadd (14 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Al-Arabi Al-Hejaz (11 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Al-Hejaz Al-Mujazzal (6 matches) |
← 2019–20 2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 19 April 2021. | |
Overview edit
Changes edit
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all football competitions in Saudi Arabia were suspended until further notice on 14 March 2020.[4] On 11 June 2020, the Saudi Football Federation announced that the Third Division would be abandoned at the quarter-finals stage and that the remaining 8 teams would be promoted to the Second Division. They also announced that the number of teams in the Second Division would be increased from 24 teams to 28 teams.[5]
Team changes edit
A total of 28 teams are contesting the league, including 16 sides from the 2019–20 season, 4 relegated teams from the MS League, and 8 promoted teams from the 2019–20 Third Division.[6]
The following teams have changed division since the 2019–20 season edit
To Second Division edit
Promoted from the Third Division
Relegated from MS League
From Second Division edit
Promoted to MS League
Relegated to the Third Division
Teams edit
- Group A
- Group B
Foreign players edit
The number of foreign players is limited to 2 per team.[7]
Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
Group A edit
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Akhdoud (C, P) | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 42 | 22 | +20 | 53 | Promotion to the MS League and Qualification to the Final |
| 2 | Bisha (P) | 26 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 40 | 19 | +21 | 49 | Promotion to MS League |
| 3 | Al-Jandal | 26 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 48 | |
| 4 | Al-Qaisumah | 26 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 45 | |
| 5 | Al-Safa | 26 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 31 | 32 | −1 | 34 | |
| 6 | Al-Entesar | 26 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 26 | 30 | −4 | 33[a] | |
| 7 | Al-Sadd | 26 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 33[a] | |
| 8 | Al-Ansar | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 31[b] | |
| 9 | Al-Zulfi | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 31[b] | |
| 10 | Al-Arabi | 26 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 29 | 37 | −8 | 27[c] | |
| 11 | Al-Lewa | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 27[c] | |
| 12 | Al-Taqadom | 26 | 4 | 13 | 9 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 25[d] | |
| 13 | Al-Hejaz (R) | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 28 | 44 | −16 | 25[d] | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 14 | Kumait (R) | 26 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 28 | 42 | −14 | 20 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-Head points; 3) Head-to-Head goal difference; 4) Head-to-Head goal scored; 5) Total goal difference; 6) Total goals scored; 7) Play-off (only for deciding champion, promotion and relegation).[8]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ a b Al-Entesar finished ahead of Al-Sadd on head-to-head points: Al-Entesar 0–0 Al-Sadd, Al-Sadd 0–1 Al-Entesar.
- ^ a b Al-Ansar finished ahead of Al-Zulfi on overall goal difference: Al-Ansar −3, Al-Zulfi −6 (Al-Ansar 1–0 Al-Zulfi, Al-Zulfi 1–0 Al-Ansar).
- ^ a b Al-Arabi finished ahead of Al-Lewa on head-to-head points: Al-Arabi 0–0 Al-Lewa, Al-Lewa 1–3 Al-Arabi.
- ^ a b Al-Taqadom finished ahead of Al-Hejaz on overall goal difference: Al-Taqadom −7, Al-Hejaz −16 (Al-Taqadom 1–3 Al-Hejaz, Al-Hejaz 1–3 Al-Taqadom).
Results edit
Group B edit
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Orobah (P) | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 51 | 28 | +23 | 54 | Promotion to the MS League and Qualification to the Final |
| 2 | Al-Kholood (P) | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 40 | 21 | +19 | 48 | Promotion to MS League |
| 3 | Al-Washm | 26 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 47 | 28 | +19 | 45 | |
| 4 | Al-Riyadh | 26 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 44 | |
| 5 | Al-Rawdhah | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 37 | 0 | 38 | |
| 6 | Al-Najma | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 35[a] | |
| 7 | Al-Taraji | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 35[a] | |
| 8 | Al-Sharq | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 34[b] | |
| 9 | Wej | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 34[b] | |
| 10 | Hetten | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 34 | −6 | 33 | |
| 11 | Afif | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 31 | |
| 12 | Al-Dahab | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 25 | 34 | −9 | 25 | |
| 13 | Al-Mujazzal (R) | 26 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 33 | 46 | −13 | 24 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 14 | Al-Selmiyah (R) | 26 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 24 | 47 | −23 | 22 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-Head points; 3) Head-to-Head goal difference; 4) Head-to-Head goal scored; 5) Total goal difference; 6) Total goals scored; 7) Play-off (only for deciding champion, promotion and relegation).[8]
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results edit
Third place play-off edit
Bisha, who finished 2nd in Group A will face Al-Kholood who finished 2nd in Group B to decide the third-placed team.[9]
| Bisha | 1–4 | Al-Kholood |
|---|---|---|
Al-Bishi  3' |
Report | Al-Ruwailli 18' Kharmi 35'Salem 45+1'Al-Khaibari 79' |
Final edit
The winners of each group will play a one-legged final to decide the champion of the 2020–21 Second Division. As winners of Group A, Al-Akhdoud will face Al-Orobah, the winners of Group B.[10] Al-Akhdoud defeated Al-Orobah 4–2 on penalties to win their second title.[11]
| Al-Orobah | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | Al-Akhdoud |
|---|---|---|
| Rayllan 35' Al-Enezi 76'M. Al-Shammari 78' |
Report | Taylon 8', 19', 45+2' |
| Penalties | ||
M. Al-Shammari  Rayllan  Bensib Mansour |
2–4 | Mendes Al-Harthi Al-Shehri Al-Zubaidi |
Statistics edit
Top scorers edit
- As of 19 April 2021[12]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Elhadji Malick
|
Al-Riyadh | 22 |
 Mohammed Salem
|
Al-Kholood | ||
| 3 |  Mohammed Al-Shammeri
|
Al-Qaisumah | 18 |
| 4 |  Rayllan Bruno
|
Al-Orobah | 16 |
| 5 |  Ismaël Bangoura
|
Al-Taraji | 15 |
 Slim Mezlini
|
Al-Zulfi / Al-Arabi | ||
 Mohammed Alhaj
|
Al-Washm | ||
| 8 | Hamza Messaadi
|
Al-Safa | 13 |
| 9 | Meqren Eid
|
Afif | 12 |
| 10 | Ahmad Boussaid
|
Al-Lewa | 11 |
 Koffi Boua
|
Al-Rawdhah | ||
| Guillaume Daho
|
Al-Jandal | ||
| Taylon Correa
|
Al-Akhdoud |
Hat-tricks edit
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elhadji Malick Tall |
Al-Riyadh | Al-Taraji | 4–3 (A) | 19 December 2020 | |
| Ely Cheikh Voulany |
Wej | Al-Selmiyah | 6–2 (H) | 14 January 2021 | |
| Ismaël Bangoura |
Al-Taraji | Al-Mujazzal | 3–1 (A) | 26 January 2021 | |
| Khaled Al-Najrani |
Al-Safa | Al-Lewaa | 4–0 (H) | 26 February 2021 | |
| Sabri Zaidi |
Al-Jandal | Al-Safa | 4–0 (A) | 4 March 2021 | |
| Gnamien Yikpe |
Al-Entesar | Al-Ansar | 3–1 (H) | 4 March 2021 | |
| Guillaume Daho |
Al-Jandal | Kumait | 4–1 (H) | 9 April 2021 | |
| Taylon Correa |
Al-Akhdoud | Al-Orobah | 3–3 (A) | 19 April 2021 |
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
Number of teams by region edit
| Rank | Region | Number | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riyadh | 9 | Afif, Al-Mujazzal, Al-Riyadh, Al-Sadd, Al-Selmiyah, Al-Sharq, Al-Washm, Al-Zulfi and Kumait |
| 2 | Eastern Province | 4 | Al-Qaisumah, Al-Rawdhah, Al-Safa and Al-Taraji |
| Al-Qassim | Al-Arabi, Al-Kholood, Al-Najma and Al-Taqadom | ||
| 4 | Al Jawf | 2 | Al Jandal and Al-Orobah |
| Mecca | Al-Entesar and Wej | ||
| Medina | Al-Ansar and Al-Dahab | ||
| 7 | Al-Bahah | 1 | Al-Hejaz |
| Asir | Bisha | ||
| Ha'il | Al-Lewa | ||
| Jazan | Hetten | ||
| Najran | Al-Akhdoud |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "اتحاد كرة القدم يعلن مواعيد فترات تسجيل اللاعبين للموسم الجديد".
- ^ "تعرف على قرعة دوري الدرجة الثانية موسم 2020/ 2021".
- ^ "القاسم يتوج الأخدود ببطولة دوري الدرجة الثانية بعد انتصاره على العروبة".
- ^ "عام / وزارة الرياضة : تعليق النشاط الرياضي بالمملكة وإغلاق الصالات والمراكز الرياضية الخاصة". www.spa.gov.sa.
- ^ "4 أغسطس استئناف الدورى والكأس السعودى وإلغاء تصفيات الدرجة الثالثة".
- ^ "نتيجة قِرعة #دوري_الدرجة_الثانية للموسم الرياضي المُقبل!".
- ^ "اعتماد عدد اللاعبين الأجانب والمواليد المحترفين للموسم المقبل 20-21".
- ^ a b "لائحة المسابقات والبطولات بالإتحاد العربي السعودي لكرة القدم" [Regulations of Saudi Arabian Football Federation Competitions] (PDF) (in Arabic). SAFF. 1 June 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "دوري الدرجة الثانية السعودي المركز الثالث".
- ^ "دوري الدرجة الثانية السعودي النهائي".
- ^ "الأخدود يخطف لقب دوري الدرجة الثانية السعودي".
- ^ "دوري الدرجة الثانية السعودي".