Al-Nasr's first football team regained the winning rhythm that had eluded them in the past four rounds, achieving a valuable and hard-fought victory over their neighbor and traditional rival, Al-Shabab, with a score of 3-2, in the exciting Riyadh derby that took place at the "Al-Awwal Park" stadium on Saturday evening, as part of the sixteenth round of the Saudi Professional League.
Details of the exciting derby goals
The match saw a blistering start from Al-Nassr, who opened the scoring early in the second minute with an own goal by defender Saad Al-Abaid, who inadvertently deflected a cross from Portuguese player João Félix into his own net. Just a few minutes later, French star Kingsley Coman doubled the lead with a spectacular overhead kick in the 8th minute, capitalizing on a perfectly delivered cross.
Despite falling behind, Al Shabab showed great character and narrowed the gap in the 31st minute with another own goal, this time by Al Nassr defender Mohammed Simakan. In the second half, Al Shabab continued their pressure and managed to equalize through Brazilian Carlos Junior in the 53rd minute after he broke the offside trap.
The turning point and decisive victory for Al-Nassr
The 67th minute proved a turning point in the match after Al Shabab's Swiss player, Vincent Seru, was sent off for receiving his second yellow card, forcing Al Shabab to play with ten men. Al Nassr capitalized on this numerical advantage, with substitute Abdulrahman Ghareeb scoring the decisive winning goal in the 76th minute with a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, securing three valuable points for his team.
The importance of winning and the context of the competition
This victory is doubly important for Al-Nassr, not only because it came in a derby match always characterized by intense rivalry and fierce fan and media attention, but also because it halted the team's recent run of poor results. With this outcome, Al-Nassr raised its points tally to 34, strengthening its position in the title race and continuing its pursuit of the top spot, while Al-Shabab's situation worsened as its points total remained at 11, a position unbecoming of the club's prestigious history.
History of matches between the two teams and the impact of the result
The Al-Nassr vs. Al-Shabab match is considered a classic of Saudi football, attracting significant local and regional attention due to the two clubs' long history in Riyadh. This encounter reflects the remarkable development of the Saudi Professional League in terms of technical quality and the presence of international stars. A victory in such a match provides a tremendous morale boost for the players and coaching staff, especially before entering the crucial matches of the second half of the season. Meanwhile, Al-Shabab will need to quickly regroup to escape the relegation zone.
