RIYADH: Just a few weeks ago, Al-Nassr were cruising at the top of the Saudi Pro League. Ten consecutive victories had put Jorge Jesus’ side firmly in control, with momentum building toward the Capital Derby against Al-Hilal on January 12.
Fast forward a few weeks, and the picture has shifted dramatically. Al-Nassr now trail Al-Hilal in the standings, with even a derby victory next week no longer enough to reclaim top spot.
Al-Hilal hosted Al-Hazem in the opening fixture of Matchday 14 at Kingdom Arena, knowing that victory would guarantee a cushion ahead of their Riyadh rivals going into Monday’s showdown.
Simone Inzaghi’s side, after an uneven start to the season that saw them drop points to Al-Ahli and Al-Qadsiah, have since surged into form. A nine-game winning streak had already put pressure on Al-Nassr, whose own run ended weeks earlier when Georginio Wijnaldum’s brace for Al-Ettifaq halted their perfect start.
Against Al-Hazem, Al-Hilal played with control rather than with urgency. Salem Al-Dawsari returned to the starting XI, but with a congested fixture list, Inzaghi carefully managed his squad.
Al-Hazem offered moments of resistance, but were no match for the Blues on the night. Rúben Neves delivered a sublime long ball from deep to Sergej Milinković-Savić, who headed home the opener in the 29th minute.
Neves then launched the fans off their seats in the 56th minute, unleashing a thunderous strike from outside the box that crashed off the bar and in to double the lead.
Darwin Núñez would seal the win for the league leaders, tapping home Kaio Cesar’s low cross in the 90th minute to secure Al-Hilal’s tenth consecutive victory.
Less than 20 kilometres away at Al-Awwal Park, Al-Nassr welcomed Al-Qadsiah in the weekend’s headliner — a stern test for Brendan Rodgers in his early weeks with the Eastern Province side.
Unlike previous meetings, the first half was relatively subdued. Al-Nassr dropped their usual high press, wary of Julián Quiñones’s threat in behind, and focused on containment. Their attempts to halt the Mexican forward ultimately came undone in the second half.
With goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi pushed high to receive the ball, his clearance fell straight to Quiñones, who scored into an empty net in the 51st minute.
Fifteen minutes later, Quiñones was involved again. Pressuring Aiman Yahya into a turnover, he squared the ball for Mateo Retegui, whose initial effort was saved before Nahitan Nández converted the rebound.
Al-Nassr were handed a lifeline in the 79th minute when a handball inside the Al-Qadsiah box resulted in a penalty, calmly dispatched by Cristiano Ronaldo for his 14th league goal of the season.
Despite a late push, Al-Nassr could not find an equaliser. Ahmed Al-Kassar stood firm in goal as Al-Qadsiah resisted sustained pressure to secure a valuable 2-1 victory.
In the day’s third fixture, Al-Ettifaq nearly let a commanding 4-0 lead slip against last-placed Al-Najma, conceding three goals in the final 20 minutes of the game before holding on for a dramatic 4-3 wn.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Khaleej hosting Damac at 4:10pm, Al-Taawoun facing Al-Shabab at 6:05pm, and Al-Ittihad travelling to Al-Kholood for the evening kick-off at 8:30pm.
