A valuable victory for Al-Nasr in the Roshan League battle
Al-Nassr secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Al-Fateh at Al-Awwal Park in the 20th round of the Saudi Professional League. This win solidified their second-place position in the standings, temporarily closing the gap with league leaders Al-Hilal and maintaining pressure in the highly competitive title race this season.
General context and importance of the match
Al-Nassr entered the match fully aware that dropping any points was unacceptable, especially given the exceptional performance of their traditional rivals, Al-Hilal. The match came at a crucial stage of the season, with all teams striving to achieve their goals, whether at the top of the table or in the middle. This year's Roshan League witnessed unprecedented media and fan interest thanks to the attraction of a host of international football stars, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo, which raised the level of competition and made every match feel like a final.
Player performance analysis: Al-Ghannam was the star of the match
Al-Nassr's players delivered a mixed performance, but the positive result was paramount. According to the statistics platform SofaScore, right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam was the standout player of the match, receiving the highest rating among his teammates with 8.5 points. This high rating stemmed from his effective attacking play, including the assist for Cristiano Ronaldo's opening goal, as well as his defensive contributions throughout the game.
For his part, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo his brilliance by scoring the opening goal in the 17th minute, confirming his great value as a leader and top scorer for the team, and received a good rating of 7.8. Fellow Portuguese player Otavio also stood out, scoring the winning goal and receiving a rating of 7.7. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Raghed Al-Najjar's performance was stable, as he received a rating of 6.5 after conceding only one goal.
The impact of winning on the league's trajectory
This victory raised Al-Nassr's points tally to 49 at that time, maintaining their second-place position in the league standings. The importance of this win lies in preserving the team's morale, keeping their title hopes alive, and sending a clear message to their rivals that Al-Nassr will not give up and will fight until the final match. The performance also highlights the importance of relying on individual brilliance from star players like Ronaldo, alongside the crucial tactical contributions of players like Sultan Al-Ghannam.
Full player ratings for Al-Nassr:
The following are the ratings of Al-Nassr's starting players in the match, according to the "SofaScore" platform:
- Sultan Al-Ghannam: 8.5
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 7.8
- Ottavio: 7.7
- Marcelo Brozovic: 7.5
- Aymeric Laporte: 7.2
- Abdullah Al-Khaibari: 7.0
- Sadio Mane: 6.9
- Alex Telles: 6.8
- Abdul-Ilah Al-Omari: 6.6
- Raghed Al-Najjar: 6.5
- Sami Al-Najai: 6.5
