One Goal From History: Al Nassr Draw 1-1 in Riyadh Derby, Title Wait Extends to Final Day
A goalkeeper’s nightmare in the 98th minute turned a coronation into a cliffhanger for Al Nassr and their pursuit of a first Saudi Pro League title in seven years.
TL;DR
- Mohamed Simakan headed Al Nassr ahead in the 37th minute from a Kingsley Coman corner at Al-Awwal Park.
- Goalkeeper Bento parried a routine long throw-in into his own net in stoppage time, gifting Al Hilal a 1-1 draw.
- Al Nassr remain top on 83 points, five clear of Al Hilal, who have a game in hand.
- Al Nassr can clinch the title with a win over Damac on May 21; Al Hilal must win their final two matches to have any realistic chance.
Al Nassr led deep into stoppage time, looking set to take a decisive stride toward the championship after Simakan’s 37th-minute header from a Coman corner silenced their rivals. Then, in the most chaotic of circumstances, Bento came off his line to deal with a long throw into the box with his defender already covering, but rather than collecting cleanly, the goalkeeper spilled the ball behind him and into his own net. The final whistle followed moments later, Bento’s error — recorded as a 90+8 own goal — ending a match that Al Nassr had controlled for long stretches, finishing with four shots on target from nine attempts to Al Hilal’s matching four on target from seven.
Ronaldo was left visibly devastated. Cameras caught him still sitting on the bench as coaching staff moved to offer comfort. He did not stay quiet for long. Minutes after the final whistle, Ronaldo posted on his official X and Instagram accounts: “The dream is close. Heads up, we have one more step to take! Thank you all for the amazing support tonight!”
The wait has been longer than anyone at Al Nassr anticipated when Cristiano Ronaldo made the move from Manchester United in January 2023. The Saudi Pro League crown is the one domestic honour he has been unable to claim since arriving in Riyadh, and a title would represent one of the last significant trophies of a career spanning more than two decades at the highest level. Al Nassr finished as runners-up in his first two campaigns, then settled for third last season — a slide that prompted the club to make the audacious appointment of Jorge Jesus, the coach who had previously built Al Hilal into the dominant force in Saudi football, according to Al-Arabiya English. The season itself had been a statement of intent: Al Nassr opened the campaign by winning their first 10 matches, setting a record for the best start in Saudi Pro League history, before a run of 16 consecutive victories further underlined their dominance.
The title race now shifts entirely to the final round of fixtures. Al Nassr face Damac FC on May 21 in what could be a trophy-clinching occasion. Al Hilal, who won the King’s Cup on May 8, must win their remaining two matches — against Neom SC on May 16 and Al Fayha on May 21 — to have any realistic prospect of overhauling the leaders. Before that, Al Nassr will host Japanese side Gamba Osaka at Al Awwal Park on May 16 for the AFC Champions League Two final, giving the club the possibility of winning continental and domestic silverware in the same week — an outcome that would rewrite the narrative of Ronaldo’s entire time in the Kingdom.
For Ronaldo, who has confirmed the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his final international tournament, a Saudi league title would be among the last significant pieces of silverware left to chase. At 41, the title race is a useful reminder of how football can compress years of effort into a single goalkeeper error. Al Nassr hold the advantage, the fixture list, and the points; what they no longer hold is any margin for sentiment.
We’ll see if the most consequential final-day result in Saudi Pro League history belongs to Ronaldo — or if Bento’s stoppage-time slip becomes the moment a title slipped away.
