Al-Ahli set the tone almost immediately, creating danger inside the opening minute when Wenderson Galeno forced a save from Nawaf Al-Aqidi before Matheus Goncalves sent the loose ball over the crossbar. The early warning sign was quickly followed by sustained pressure from the home side.
Al-Ahli set the tone almost immediately, creating danger inside the opening minute when Wenderson Galeno forced a save from Nawaf Al-Aqidi before Matheus Goncalves sent the loose ball over the crossbar. The early warning sign was quickly followed by sustained pressure from the home side.
The breakthrough arrived soon after, with Galeno again central to the move. Bursting into open space, he slid a precise pass across the area for Ivan Toney, who calmly applied the finish to put Al-Ahli ahead in the seventh minute.
The same flank continued to cause problems, as Galeno teed up Ali Majrashi, whose driven attempt drifted narrowly wide. Al-Ahli’s dominance was clear, with Al-Nassr struggling to cope defensively.
That pressure told again midway through the half. A direct ball forward and Toney’s intelligent movement caught the visitors out, allowing the striker to beat the goalkeeper once more in the 20th minute and double the advantage.
Despite trailing by two goals, Al-Nassr found a route back into the contest through an unlikely source. Abdulelah Al-Amri unleashed a long-range strike on the half-hour mark, and Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi was unable to keep the effort out, reducing the deficit.
The goal shifted the balance, with Al-Nassr growing in confidence. Al-Ahli came close to restoring their cushion when Feras Al-Brikan looked set to score, only for Saad Al-Nasser to intervene with a last-ditch block.
That missed chance proved costly moments later. Just before the break, Al-Amri once again made his presence felt, this time powering in a header to draw his side level and complete a remarkable turnaround before halftime.
Added time delivered further excitement, as Al-Nassr threatened at one end before Al-Ahli countered swiftly. Toney struck the woodwork from close range, ensuring the teams went in level after an action-packed first period.
The second half maintained the same tempo, but it was Al-Ahli who struck the telling blow. A set piece swung toward the back post was cleverly redirected by Toney with a backheel touch, allowing Merih Demiral to finish and restore the home side’s lead in the 54th minute.
Al-Nassr was handed a prime opening to respond when Cristiano Ronaldo found himself unmarked inside the area shortly after the hour. However, a heavy touch caused him to lose his footing, and the opportunity slipped away.
From there, Al-Ahli defended resolutely, absorbing pressure as the clock ticked down. Frustration boiled over in stoppage time, with a confrontation leading to Majrashi’s dismissal for the hosts.
The visitors were also reduced to nine men when Nawaf Bu Washl was sent off for halting Saleh Abou Al-Shamat while through on goal. The final whistle soon followed, sealing Al-Nassr’s first league loss of the campaign.
Away from Jeddah, Georginio Wijnaldum played a starring role as Al-Ettifaq claimed a 2-0 success against Al-Okhdood. The midfielder broke the deadlock shortly after the restart and later added a penalty, securing his second straight two-goal display.
That result lifted Al-Ettifaq temporarily into seventh position with 19 points, marking their fifth victory of the season.
In the remaining fixture, Al-Najma rescued a late draw through Samir Caetano’s goal in added time, earning a 2-2 share of the spoils with Al-Khaleej and only their second point of the campaign.
