Cristiano Ronaldo could do little more than stare into the distance as Al Nassr threw away what looked like their long-awaited Saudi Pro League title moment against arch-rivals Al Hilal on Tuesday. Just minutes away from a potentially defining derby victory, Al Nassr conceded a stoppage-time equaliser in a painful 1-1 draw that once again delayed Ronaldo’s wait for a first Saudi league title.
For most of the night at Alawwal Park, the script looked perfect for Al Nassr. Then the final minutes arrived and everything completely unravelled.
What initially looked like a harmless late Al Hilal attack suddenly turned disastrous after confusion between goalkeeper Bento and experienced defender Inigo Martinez. Neither dealt with the delivery properly, the ball ended up in the back of the net.
Ronaldo, who had already been substituted in the 83rd minute by manager Jorge Jesus, sat silently in the dugout after the final whistle. The Al Nassr captain sat silently inside the dugout after the final whistle, staring into the distance in disbelief. At one point, Ronaldo even burst into a brief smile of frustration, almost unable to process how quickly Al Nassr had let such a massive moment slip away.
HOW AL NASSR RUINED THEIR OWN TITLE WINNING MOMENT
The derby itself was never comfortable.
The tension of the title race hung heavily over both teams, and chances were limited for large stretches of the match. But Al Nassr gradually grew into the game and finally found their breakthrough through Mohamed Simakan’s superb first-half strike.
And once that goal went in, it genuinely felt like enough.
Al Hilal struggled badly to create anything clean through open play, while Al Nassr looked increasingly comfortable controlling the tempo without taking unnecessary risks.
But the real chance to kill the match completely arrived just before half-time.
Kingsley Coman intercepted a loose pass from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and suddenly found himself staring at an open goal opportunity. With the crowd already rising in anticipation, Coman hit the woodwork instead.
That moment would come back to haunt them brutally.
Because right at the death, Al Nassr produced the kind of defensive mistake that can define title races.
And then came the final-minute chaos.
A simple late delivery into the area somehow turned into complete panic between Bento and Inigo Martinez. Instead of clearing the danger, both players hesitated and collided against each other in attempt to get to the ball, all while no Al Hilal players were around. The collision led to the ball slipping and going into the Al Nassr net, much to everyone’s horror.
For Ronaldo and Al Nassr, it was the worst possible way to lose control of such a huge moment.
WILL AL NASSR WIN SAUDI PRO LEAGUE OR AL HILAL?
Ronaldo’s wait for a first Saudi league title is not over yet, but Al Nassr have certainly made life far more difficult for themselves now.
Despite the draw, Al Nassr still remain top of the Saudi Pro League table with 83 points and need just one win from their final league match to officially secure the title.
That remains the biggest positive for them.
But the pressure has suddenly returned because Al Hilal are now firmly back in the race with 78 points and two games still left to play against Neom and Al Fayha.
If Al Nassr fail to win their final match and end up dropping points again, while Al Hilal win both of their remaining fixtures, the title race could swing dramatically in Hilal’s favour.
– Ends
