Al-Nassr approached Matchday 17 with urgency, aware that Damac had recently frustrated leading contenders despite a difficult season. An aggressive opening was designed to prevent the hosts from settling.
Al-Nassr approached Matchday 17 with urgency, aware that Damac had recently frustrated leading contenders despite a difficult season. An aggressive opening was designed to prevent the hosts from settling.
That plan paid off almost immediately. Abdulrahman Ghareeb, rewarded with a rare starting role after his decisive strike against Al-Shabab days earlier, made an instant impact. A low pull-back found him inside the area in the fifth minute, and his finish beat Kewin to put the visitors ahead.
Moments later, the advantage nearly doubled. João Félix supplied a delicate outside-of-the-foot delivery that Cristiano Ronaldo met cleanly, but the Damac goalkeeper reacted sharply to divert the attempt away.
Ghareeb remained influential between the lines, linking play and stretching the defence with incisive movement. Félix, however, lacked precision in front of the goal, while Kewin’s resistance allowed the home side to remain in contention as the half progressed.
Despite spending long periods under pressure, Damac created danger by exploiting space behind Al-Nassr’s advanced back line. Hazza Al-Ghamdi and Snousi Al-Hawsawi repeatedly found room on the right flank through long diagonal balls.
Al-Hawsawi went close twice, first firing a volley off target early on, then attempting an audacious chip when Bento was stranded outside his area, the effort drifting narrowly wide.
Just before the interval, Damac threatened again on the counter, only for Bento to produce a crucial double stop that preserved the lead at the break.
Al-Nassr appeared to settle matters soon after the restart. In the 50th minute, Félix threaded a precise pass into Ronaldo’s path, and the forward calmly guided the ball beyond Kewin to register his 16th goal of the campaign.
The match, however, was far from finished. Damac drew confidence from their home ground, a venue where reigning champions Al-Ittihad have failed to triumph in seven attempts.
A set piece revived the contest in the 68th minute. Abdullah Al-Qahtani swung in a corner that Jamal Harkass converted, reducing the deficit and igniting the crowd. It marked Al-Qahtani’s third direct involvement in as many matches, continuing his strong run.
Momentum shifted noticeably thereafter, with the hosts generating more attempts during the latter stages. Al-Nassr were forced to defend deeper as pressure mounted.
Despite the surge, the visitors maintained their composure, closing spaces and managing the closing minutes effectively to secure a narrow but valuable success in one of the league’s most demanding stadiums.
