Al Nassr’s Struggles Deepen After Defeat to Al Hilal

Days after enduring a disappointing home defeat to Al Qadsiah, Al Nassr clashed with league leaders Al Hilal in a pivotal top-of-the-table encounter. The visitors dominated the first half, registering six shots on goal compared to just one from the hosts. Notable opportunities were created by Kingsley Coman and Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter capitalizing on a precise assist from Coman to net his 16th goal of the season with a clinical finish into the top corner in the 42nd minute.

However, Al Nassr’s promising performance in the first half quickly unraveled early in the second half. The turning point came when Mohamed Simakan fouled Malcom in the box, leading to a penalty, which Salem Al Dawsari successfully converted in the 57th minute. Moments later, Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves was seen clutching his face after a collision with goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi.

Initially shown a yellow card, Al Aqidi’s punishment was escalated to a red card for violent conduct following a VAR review, leaving Al Nassr with ten men for the final thirty minutes. Their situation deteriorated further when Mohamed Kanno scored from close range with nine minutes remaining. The defeat was compounded when Neves converted a penalty in the 92nd minute after Ali Al Hassan brought down Al Dawsari in the area. With this loss, Al Nassr has now suffered three consecutive defeats, marking their last victory on December 27.

While Al Dawsari and Kanno found the net for Al Hilal, Ruben Neves played a crucial role in securing the win. He provided an assist for the second goal and was instrumental in Al Aqidi’s sending off, further emphasizing Al Nassr’s struggles. Neves capped off the match by scoring from the penalty spot, cementing Al Nassr’s dire situation in the league.