In a thrilling football match held at King Abdullah Sports City (The Shining Jewel), Al-Ahli secured a valuable and well-deserved victory over their arch-rivals Al-Nassr, winning 3-2 in the 13th round of the Saudi Professional League. This win not only earned Al-Ahli three crucial points but also held special significance as it inflicted Al-Nassr's first defeat of the season, breaking the league leaders' winning streak.
The atmosphere of El Clásico and the large crowd attendance
The match was played before a packed crowd of 41,315 fans, creating an atmosphere of excitement befitting the prestige of the Saudi Arabian football "Clásico." This match comes at a time when the Saudi league is experiencing tremendous growth and unprecedented global attention, with matches between top clubs becoming a stage for showcasing the skills of some of the world's best players. The home side started with clear attacking pressure, eager to surprise the league leaders and capitalize on home advantage.
A fiery first half: Tony shines and Al-Omari makes a comeback
The excitement began early with a threat from Firas Al-Buraikan, before English star Ivan Tony opened the scoring for Al-Ahli in the 7th minute, capitalizing on a perfect cross from Galeno Wenderson. Tony continued his brilliance by adding a second goal in the 20th minute after a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, following a delightful pass from Ali Majrashi. However, Al-Nassr refused to give up, with Abdul-Ilah Al-Amri narrowing the gap in the 31st minute, taking advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi. The same player then returned to equalize with a powerful header in the 44th minute after a cross from Brozovic, ending the first half in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Demiral decides the match, and red cards appear
At the start of the second half, Al-Ahli continued their attacking pressure, with Turkish defender Merih Demiral scoring the winning third goal in the 55th minute after a clever finish from a cross by Galeno, which was set up by Toni. Al-Nasr tried to get back into the game through attempts by Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix, but Al-Ahli's defense and goalkeeper Al-Sanbi held firm until the final whistle.
The final minutes witnessed great tension, which led to the red card being shown to Al-Ahli player Ali Majrashi in the (90+8) minute, and to Al-Nasr player Nawaf Boushel in the (90+10) minute, ending the match with a whistle that announced the fall of the leader.
Impact of the result on the standings table
With this result, Al-Ahli raised their points tally to 25, strengthening their hold on fourth place and narrowing the gap with the leading clubs, thus reviving their hopes of a strong title challenge. Meanwhile, Al-Nasr's points remained at 31, and despite maintaining their top spot, this loss sounds a warning sign and opens the door for their rivals to close the gap in the upcoming rounds, promising an exceptional and fiercely contested season right up to the final whistle.
