Al-Nassr Complete Turnaround Sends Them Top Of The Saudi Pro Leaguenewsline24

-myKhel Team

Al-Nassr moved two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League after overturning a half-time deficit to beat Al-Fayha 3-1, with Abdullah Al Hamddan finishing the comeback. An Abdulelah Al Amri own goal had briefly threatened an upset, but late strikes from Sadio Mane, Joao Felix and Al Hamddan secured an eighth straight league victory.

The decisive third goal arrived in the closing stages, when Joao Felix combined neatly with Al Hamddan on the edge of the area. A slick one-two released Al Hamddan through the middle, and the forward stayed composed, placing a low finish past Orlando Mosquera to seal a result that tightened Al-Nassr’s grip on first place ahead of Al-Ahli.

Before Al Hamddan’s strike, Al-Nassr had already turned the contest around during a dominant second half. On 72 minutes, Kingsley Coman advanced on the right and squared across goal, leaving Mane with a simple tap-in into an unguarded net. Eight minutes later, Joao Felix hammered a long shot against the bar, and the rebound struck Mosquera and bounced in for an own goal.

The match had swung against Al-Nassr at the end of the first period, despite a bright start. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Bento’s poor clearance invited pressure, and Mohammed Al Baqawi drilled a low cross into the six-yard box. Under pressure and facing his own goal, Al Amri diverted the ball past goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah to give Al-Fayha a 1-0 lead.

Earlier, Al-Nassr created several chances to move ahead but could not take them. Mikel Villanueva clipped Mohamed Simakan in the area after eight minutes, yet Cristiano Ronaldo’s delayed run-up ended with a penalty that clipped the outside of the post. Marcelo Brozovic and Coman then both went close from open play as the pressure steadily increased on Al-Fayha.

The performance statistics underlined how strongly Jorge Jesus’ side responded after a frustrating opening half. Ronaldo’s failed spot-kick was the third penalty missed for club and country this season, and Al-Nassr also conceded through an own goal, but the group recovered and controlled the contest, maintaining a perfect run across their last eight league fixtures.

Across the 90 minutes, Al-Nassr attempted 19 shots, with seven efforts testing Mosquera, and produced 3.32 expected goals. Al-Fayha created little, recording only four attempts, all off target, for 0.09 expected goals. Joao Felix proved central to the attacking display, registering a team-high four shots and creating three chances, and came close to scoring when his long-range drive led to the second goal.

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Elsewhere in the Saudi Pro League, fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah dropped points in a 1-1 draw against Al-Taawoun. Marin Petkov opened the scoring for the visitors, but Mateo Retegui equalised from the spot in the fourth minute of first-half injury time, ensuring the teams shared the points and slightly easing pressure on Al-Taawoun’s league position.

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Al-Nassr’s comeback, combined with Al-Qadsiah’s draw, strengthened the title push for Jorge Jesus’ squad and underlined growing momentum in the Saudi Pro League race. The league leaders showed resilience after early setbacks, maintained attacking control through Joao Felix and Mane, and ended the night with a cushion over Al-Ahli and increased belief in their current approach.