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 from a potentially decisive derby win, Al Nassr conceded a stoppage-time equalizer in a painful 1-1 draw that once again delayed Ronaldo’s wait for a first league title in Saudi Arabia.
For most of the night at Alawwal Park, the script looked perfect for Al Nassr. Then came the final minutes and everything unraveled completely.
What initially looked like a harmless late attack by Al Hilal suddenly turned disastrous after a mix-up between goalkeeper Bento and experienced defender Inigo Martinez. Neither handled the serve properly, the ball ended up in the back of the net.
Ronaldo, who had already been replaced by manager Jorge Jesus in the 83rd minute, sat silently on the ground after the final whistle. Captain Al Nassr sat quietly inside the dugout after the final whistle, staring off into the distance in disbelief. At one point, Ronaldo even broke 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 DESTROYED HIS OWN TITLE VICTORY MOMENT
The derby itself was never comfortable.
The tension in the title fight hung on both teams and chances were limited for long stretches of the match. But Al Nassr gradually grew into the game and eventually found the breakthrough thanks to Mohamed Simakan’s superb strike in the first half.
And once that goal was scored, it really seemed like it was enough.
Al Hilal struggled 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 game completely came just before half time.
Kingsley Coman latched on to Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s loose pass and suddenly found himself staring at an open scoring opportunity. With the crowd already rising in anticipation, Coman hit the woodwork instead.
That moment will come back to haunt them brutally.
Because at the death, Al Nassr produced the kind of defensive error that can define title races.
And then came the chaos at the last minute.
A simple late delivery to the area somehow turned into a complete panic between Bento and Inigo Martinez. Instead of clearing the danger, both players hesitated and bumped into each other trying to get to the ball while there were no Al Hilal players around. The collision resulted in the ball slipping into the Al Nassr net, much to everyone’s horror.
It was the worst possible way for Ronaldo and Al Nassr to lose control of such a huge moment.
WILL AL NASSR SAUDI WIN THE LEAGUE OR AL HILAL?
Ronaldo’s wait for a first league title in Saudi Arabia is far from over, but Al Nassr have certainly made life 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 last league match to officially secure the title.
This remains the biggest positive for them.
But the pressure is suddenly back on as Al Hilal are now firmly back in the race on 78 points with two games remaining against Neom and Al Fayh.
If Al Nassr don’t win their last match and end up dropping points again while Al Hilal win both remaining matches, the title race could swing dramatically in Hilal’s favour.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
13 May 2026 02:16 IST
