DAMMAM: When Al-Najma beat Al-Kholood two weeks ago to secure their first-ever Saudi Pro League victory under new manager Néstor El Maestro, it seemed like a page was turned in their turbulent debut season in the league.
Days later, they led Al-Ahli 1-0 in Jeddah, further showing that this team were not prepared to go down so easily. Unfortunately for the Qassim-based side, they crumbled in the second half and fell to a 4-1 defeat.
Next up for El Maestro’s squad was Al-Nassr. With Al-Hilal dropping points to Al-Taawoun and Al-Ahli beating Damac by the skin of their teeth, this was Jorge Jesus’ chance to reclaim top spot with a two-point gap. There was no option but victory.
Al-Najma were no match for Al-Nassr from the get-go. Only five minutes were needed for fans to complain about the level of refereeing for the third consecutive day, with Al-Nassr winning a penalty just five minutes in.
It wasn’t to be for Al-Najma’s goalkeeper Victor Braga, though. Just last week, he became the first player to save an Ivan Toney penalty in an Al-Ahli shirt.
This time, Cristiano Ronaldo slotted home with confidence, and there was no looking back. Al-Najma accepted defeat with more than 80 minutes to go, and the only question remained was how big the scoreline would be.
With Íñigo Martínez now Jesus’ trusted option at left-back, Marcelo Brozović was afforded greater freedom to push forward. Martinez operated as a pseudo-left-defensive midfielder, giving the Croatian the green light to overload the channels in the final third.
This led to Al-Nassr’s second of the night, when Brozović received the ball down the left flank to square it to Kingsley Coman in the 31st minute. The Frenchman converted his sixth goal of the campaign.
Moments later, Braga was injured while attempting to deal with a corner. Waleed Al-Anzi replaced him, but a low Martinez strike from range deflected off Nasser Al-Haleel to slip between his legs for Al-Nassr’s third in the 42nd minute.
The second half would prove no different for the hosts. Playing higher up the pitch in a bid to lessen the deficit, it saw Nawaf Bu Washl released with acres of space down the right after a chipped ball by Abdullah Al-Khaibari.
Bu Washl found Ronaldo in the box, but after hesitating to shoot, he opted to release Sadio Mané instead, who netted the fourth in the 52nd minute.
The next 10 minutes saw Ronaldo, Mané, Brozović, Coman and João Félix substituted as Jesus manages the team’s fitness levels. Al-Nassr travel to Al Majma’ah to face Al-Fayha in less than 72 hours.
The icing on the cake came via Martinez in the 80th minute. Abdulrahman Ghareeb delivered a corner to the near post that was met by the Spaniard and headed past Al-Anzi at the far post for Al-Nassr’s fifth.
Eleven games remain for Al-Nassr on their quest for their first league title since 2019. Their next five games include Al-Fayha, NEOM, Al-Khaleej, Al-Najma and Al-Okhdood, a run that helped them solidify top spot in the first half of the season.
That is followed by the stretch that previously saw them go four games without a win: Al-Ettifaq, Al-Ahli, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Hilal, before their final two games of the season against Al-Shabab and Damac.
The title race remains tight. Al-Nassr may sit top, but Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and Al-Qadsiah sit two, three and five points behind them respectively. Time will tell if Ronaldo can grab the coveted title he’s missed since his arrival in the Kingdom.
Elsewhere, Alexandre Lacazette’s stellar strike was cancelled out by Yassine Benzia in NEOM’s 1-1 draw with Al-Fayha. The newly-promoted side remain in eighth place, five points ahead of Al-Khaleej in ninth, and six behind seventh-placed Al-Ettifaq.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Thursday. Al-Fateh go head-to-head with Damac while Al-Hazem host Al-Ettifaq. Al-Ahli, despite a few recent struggles, have won 12 out of their last 13 matches and travel to the capital to face Al-Riyadh on the same day.
