Al-Nassr Stumbles Against Winless Al-Khaleej in Title Race Blow
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr drops points as Al-Khaleej ends its scoring drought
DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia — Al-Nassr’s pursuit of the Saudi Pro League title suffered a significant setback at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, where Cristiano Ronaldo’s star-studded side was held to a 1-1 draw by winless Al-Khaleej.
The point left Al-Nassr in third place rather than level on points with reigning league leaders Al-Hilal. The Riyadh-based powerhouse remains one point behind second-placed Al-Ittihad, who defeated Al-Nassr 2-1 in their previous away fixture on September 5.
**Al-Khaleej XI:** Anthony Moris (GK); Saeed Al Hamsal, Mohammed Al Khabrani, Kiki Kouyate, Pedro Rebocho; Nawaf Al Saadi, Omar Mascarell, Miguel Crespo, Majed Kanabah, Saleh Al Amri; Angelo Fulgini.
Al-Khaleej’s difficult season continued with a goal in first-half stoppage time. Omar Mascarell, a veteran midfielder and product of the Real Madrid youth academy, headed a well-placed delivery from former Ligue 1 midfielder Angelo Fulgini past Brazilian goalkeeper Bento.
The goal ended Al-Khaleej’s grueling offensive drought. The club had gone over 287 minutes without scoring since a late-August defeat to Al-Ahli.
Al-Nassr’s lineup included Bento (GK); Nawaf Bu Washl, Abdulelah Al Amri, Inigo Martínez, Saad Al Nasser; Angelo, Samu Costa, Abdullah Al Khaibari; Sadio Mane, Joao Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Facing a second consecutive away defeat, Al-Nassr manager adjusted the lineup in the second half by introducing Saudi international forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan. In the 72nd minute, Al-Hamdan collected a pass from Spanish central defender Inigo Martinez and struck from distance to beat Al-Khaleej goalkeeper Anthony Moris.
Al-Hamdan’s equalizer preserved Al-Nassr’s historic scoring streak: the club has now scored in 94 consecutive Saudi Pro League matches. The run began after a 3-0 shutout loss to Al-Hilal on December 1, 2023.
*Al-Khaleej substitutes:* Marwan Al Haidari (GK), Ali Al Shaafi, Mansour Hamzi, Bader Munshi, Abdullah Al Hafith, Fawaz Al Soqoor, Hussain Al Eissa, Raed Al Shanqiti, Fahad Al Rashidi.
The draw extended Al-Khaleej’s winless run to 12 matches in all competitions, dating back to a 2-0 victory over Damac on May 2. Al-Khaleej has failed to find the back of the net in six fixtures during that stretch.
The historical matchup remains heavily one-sided. Al-Khaleej is winless in its last 11 meetings with Al-Nassr dating back to September 2016, and has recorded only one victory against the Riyadh club in 23 encounters since November 1981, losing 16 of those matches.
Before the draw, Al-Khaleej had lost five consecutive home matches against Al-Nassr and had failed to score in four of them. Ronaldo, who went scoreless in Dammam, remains the fixture’s all-time top scorer with seven career goals against Al-Khaleej.
*Al-Nassr substitutes:* Nawaf Al Aqidi (GK), Mohamed Simakan, Nader Al Sharari, Abdullah Al Hamdan, Sami Al Naji, Majed Qasheesh, Rakan Al Ghamdi, Saad Haqawi, Awad Aman.
Al-Nassr’s road numbers from last season were formidable. The club led the league in away wins with 13, away goals scored with 45, and away goal difference at +29. Its recent away form, however, includes the loss to Al-Ittihad.
Al-Nassr also fell 1-0 to Japanese club Gamba Osaka in Riyadh in the AFC Champions League Two final on May 16, 2026.
The team travels to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, September 15, to face UAE Pro-League side Al Ain in the opening match of its AFC Champions League campaign. Al-Nassr was eliminated by Al Ain in the quarterfinals of the 2023–24 edition of the tournament after a dramatic penalty shootout in Riyadh.
