RIYADH: Al-Nassr fans would have felt a sense of deja vu when the starting lineup was announced for their first 2026/27 Saudi Pro League fixture against Al-Fateh.
With Samu Costa on the bench, the starting XI was a carbon copy of last season’s best eleven — Cristiano Ronaldo the only absentee, having recently married Georgina Rodriguez, though the couple were in the VIP box cheering the team on.
However, the lack of new names in the squad did not signal any cause for worry for Al-Nassr, who cruised to a 3-0 victory in front of a raucous crowd at Al-Awwal Park.
Joao Felix — who received the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League Player of the Season award prior to kickoff — shone brightest, while Angelo also produced a stellar performance in Ange Postecoglou’s first competitive game in charge.
Aside from a few threatening runs from Al-Fateh winger Mourad Batna, Al-Nassr were comfortable for most of the game. A reckless tackle on Saad Al-Nasser by Faisal Al-Abdulwahed in the opening minutes proved worrying, with the left-back forced off for Salem Al-Najdi in the 18th minute.
Al-Najdi’s inclusion proved telling. In the 37th minute, he spotted Angelo drifting wide as the Al-Fateh defense shifted toward the right flank, with his pinpoint cross finding the Brazilian to finish past Waleed Al-Enazi at the near post.
Angelo had been denied earlier by Al-Enazi, who could consider himself unfortunate to have conceded three — he produced six saves on the night. Two came in quick succession: The goalkeeper palmed away a powerful Joao Felix shot before stopping Angelo’s rebound in the 15th minute.
After breaking the deadlock, there was no stopping Al-Nassr. Just three minutes later, Joao Felix received the ball on the left flank before dancing past three defenders to steer the ball beyond Al-Enazi at his near post for the second.
Al-Nassr were given a scare before the break when Al-Abdulwahed’s night went from bad to worse — he struck the post with an empty net gaping.
A 2-0 lead looked comfortable, but after city rivals Al-Hilal almost surrendered a 3-0 lead against newly promoted Al-Faisaly on Friday, concentration was key for Postecoglou’s side.
They maintained greater control of the ball, preventing Al-Fateh from finding space on the counter, before making a host of substitutions — including the debut of their only summer signing, Samu Costa.
Less than 10 minutes after coming on, Costa was celebrating his maiden Al-Nassr goal. A combination between Mane and Angelo down the left flank opened up the final third, and Abdullah Al-Hamddan’s layoff found Costa arriving to blast a finish into the far corner and seal the victory for the hosts.
Elsewhere, Al-Ittihad made a worrying start under newly appointed head coach Jens Wissing, dropping points to Al-Kholood in a 1-1 draw. It was the third consecutive game in which the Tigers failed to beat Al-Kholood — the first being a defeat in the 2025/26 King’s Cup semifinal.
It did not help that one of Al-Kholood’s standout performers was goalkeeper Hamed Al-Shangeeti, who started the encounter against his parent club. In the 32nd minute, the 21-year-old held his nerve to prevent Houssem Aouar from converting from the spot, making a memorable start to the season.
Youssef En-Nesyri broke the deadlock just over 10 minutes later, heading home Ahmed Al-Julaydan’s whipped cross. Despite Al-Ittihad’s lead, Al-Kholood showed more confidence and control. Their resilience paid off: In the 52nd minute Julien Domingues scored his debut goal for the club by finishing Shaquille Pinas’ cross.
Pinas was involved in a game-changing moment five minutes later, when he was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Danilo Pereira, which earned the latter a straight red card.
Both sides came within a whisker of scoring the winner, but no victor emerged. Al-Kholood will have been the happier side.
Finally, Al-Taawoun and Al-Khaleej played out a 0-0 draw in Qassim earlier in the night. Abdelrazzak Hamedallah and Joshua King — the respective strikers — failed to get on the scoresheet, as Al-Taawoun goalkeeper Mailson claimed the man-of-the-match award with six vital saves to his name.
Saudi Pro League action returns on Thursday for Matchday Two. However, the 2026/27 King’s Cup gets underway on Sunday, with round of 32 fixtures taking place until Wednesday.
