The match brought together two of the best teams of this Saudi Pro League season, but under very different contexts. Al Nassr came in under pressure after two negative results, knowing that only a win mattered, especially since Al Hilal had already won and a victory would leave them just one point off the top. There was even a curious parallel with Arsenal in recent seasons: a long time at the top, everything seemingly under control, until the shark starts biting from behind. In Al Nassr’s case, that shark is called Al Hilal.
Al Nassr started strong. In the opening minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo tried his luck from outside the box, Coman attacked the space in behind, and the team showed clear signs that they wanted to settle the game early. But that intensity did not last long. After the first five minutes, the match began to level out and then slip away. The team struggled to impose possession as they usually do, spent long stretches closing spaces and reacting instead of dictating play. Something unusual for this Al Nassr side.
And even when chances came, the decision-making in the final third was poor. Ângelo had a clear chance inside the box and did not shoot. João Félix, in a two-on-one situation, chose to complicate things. Cristiano missed a point-blank finish. Chances were created, but not finished. There was a lack of composure, clarity and conviction.
In the 51st minute came the moment that defined the game. Nawaf received the ball far from goal and, with no real need, tried to solve the situation on his own. He hesitated, made a poor decision and gifted a clear goal to Al Qadsiah. A childish mistake, the kind that freezes an entire stadium. The team immediately felt the blow, losing confidence and structure.
The second goal came with Al Nassr already emotionally disorganized. Yahya made a mistake, Quiñones reached the byline, Retegui shot, Nawaf still managed a save, but Nández arrived for the rebound. 2-0. Maximum punishment for a team that, in just a few minutes, went from emotional control to chaos.
Al Nassr still tried to react. Cristiano pulled one back from the penalty spot, the stadium woke up and for brief moments it felt like something might still be possible. But it was a reaction driven more by emotion than by reason. The team pushed forward without patience or structure, living off crosses and persistence. Wesley came on poorly, João Félix remained disconnected from the game, and even Cristiano, in the final minutes, showed frustration with the lack of belief around him.
Post-match
A defeat that hurts, not only because of the result, but because of the way it happened. Al Nassr lost a game they should never lose, and they did it through their own mistakes. When you are fighting for the title, errors like these are not just mistakes, they are sentences.
The moment of the match is obvious: the goal conceded after Nawaf’s grotesque error. Cristiano Ronaldo somewhat saves himself with another goal, his number 958, calm and precise from the penalty spot, but that alone is not enough.
João Félix disappointed once again. Poor decisions, little objectivity and almost no impact. Coman and Cristiano were also below the expected level for large parts of the game.
The substitution of Ângelo is hard to understand. He was the most defiant player, the only one consistently creating imbalance. It was a game to win, and they left empty-handed.