In a dramatic Saudi Premier League match, Al Nassr overcame Al Akhdoud 3-2 with a late goal, postponing Al Hilal's championship celebration until at least their next game against the bottom-ranked team, Al Hazem, on Saturday. Al Hilal, eyeing their 19th league title, needed Al Nassr to drop points but now find themselves needing at least a draw to clinch the championship.
Al Nassr seemed destined for their third draw of the season after initially leading with goals from Croatian Marcelo Brozovic (7th minute) and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (15th minute). However, Al Akhdoud fought back with Hassan Al Habib scoring in the 60th minute and Nigerian Godwin Savior equalizing by the 70th. The match appeared headed for a draw until Brozovic netted the decisive goal in the 91st minute, marking Al Nassr’s 25th victory.
This crucial win took Al Nassr to 77 points, solidifying their second-place position, whereas Al Akhdoud remains at 15th with 28 points. Ronaldo extended his lead as the top scorer in the league with his 33rd goal, now 9 goals ahead of Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Al Nassr has boasted an impressive goal tally against newly promoted teams, with 34 goals recorded since the arrival of the former Manchester United, Juventus, and Real Madrid star, of which Ronaldo scored 14 in 8 matches against these teams.
In other league developments, Riyadh earned a valuable point with a 0-0 draw against Al Taawon, enhancing their survival hopes by moving to 30 points in 14th place, while Al Taawon sits comfortably in fourth with 52 points. Meanwhile, Al Fayha and Al Fath ended their match in a 2-2 draw. Goals for Al Fayha were provided by Zambian Fashion Sakala (29th minute) and Moroccan Abdelhamid Sabiri (69th minute), while Djjaniny from Cape Verde (47th minute) and Algerian Sofiane Bendebka (76th minute) scored for Al Fath, leaving the teams sixth and seventh respectively, separated only by goal difference.