DUBAI: Al-Nassr endured another tense moment on Friday when they fell behind early, but rallied to secure a 2-1 comeback victory over Al-Taawoun at Al-Awwal Park, preserving their perfect start to the Saudi Pro League campaign.
The defending champions sit atop the standings with a perfect 12 points from four matches, while city rivals Al-Hilal, who posted a commanding 5-1 win on the road against Al-Khaleej, occupy second place with nine points from three games.
Al-Nassr’s supporters were stunned in the 11th minute when Bassam Al-Hurayji pounced on the rebound from a Mohammed Al-Aqel effort that had been deflected by goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi onto the crossbar, tapping the ball into the net.
The hosts had to wait until first-half stoppage time to level the score. Samu Costa received a pass from Sadio Mané and drilled a first-time shot from outside the box, beating goalkeeper Mailson. The ecstatic celebration from both the scorer and the home crowd reflected the palpable relief on the night.
Al-Nassr’s second goal seemed almost inevitable five minutes after the break. A strike from Mohammed Simakan looked destined for the net before Cristiano Ronaldo nudged it over the line from close range, slotting it into the roof of the goal.
Coach Ange Postecoglou’s resilient side, who had already staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to defeat Al-Ettifaq 3-2 on Tuesday despite playing with ten men, produced another comeback victory.
While Al-Nassr struggled at times to seal their victory at home, Al-Hilal’s triumph at Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam was rarely in question. French forward Mohammed Meite opened the scoring after just 15 minutes with a neat glancing header, and midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić, who supplied the assist, doubled the lead shortly before the 30-minute mark.
Al-Khaleej halved the deficit in the 38th minute, but Saleh Al-Amri’s goal merely ignited a blistering spell for Al-Hilal. Theo Hernández restored the two-goal advantage on 40 minutes with a trademark left-foot strike, and three minutes later Crysencio Summerville cleverly slipped between two defenders to net his first league goal for the club since his summer move from West Ham. Sultan Mandash added a fifth in stoppage time, effectively ending the contest before halftime.
On an oppressively hot evening in Dammam, the pace inevitably slowed after the break. Musa Barrow squandered a 67th-minute penalty for Al-Khaleej, and there was little else to trouble the scoreline. Coach Simone Inzaghi would have been pleased with his side’s four-goal cushion, which enabled him to introduce several strategic substitutions in the closing stages.
Earlier, Al-Riyadh claimed a 1-0 win over visiting Neom thanks to Teddy Okou’s strike just after the hour mark. The victory lifted the capital side to 12th in the standings with four points from four matches, while Neom sit seventh, also with six points from four games.
Al-Fayha secured their first win of the campaign by edging bottom-placed Abha 3-2 at home. Having earned only one point from their opening three fixtures, the victory propelled them to 11th in the table, surpassing Al-Riyadh on goal difference.
