RIYADH: Al-Nassr were mere seconds from securing the Saudi Pro League title for the first time since 2019 when their moment of glory was snatched away in dramatic fashion.
With his team protecting a 1-0 lead in a tense and chaotic Capital Derby, and the home crowd at Al-Awwal Park poised to erupt into celebration, goalkeeper Bento failed to claim a long Al-Hilal throw into the area in the ninth minute of stoppage time and fumbled the ball into his own net, thereby ensuring any celebrations would have to be delayed until the final day of the season.
The energetic atmosphere on the night was palpable; even before kickoff, both sets of supporters were competing to see who could generate the most noise during the warm-up.
Both teams started the match with their strongest available lineups, although Al-Nassr were notably without enforcer Abdullah Al-Khaibari and playmaker Angelo through injury.
The stakes, however, were a little different for each side. Victory for Al-Nassr would have secured their first Saudi Pro League title in seven years with a match to spare. Al-Hilal, who have a game in hand, knew that a win would hand them the advantage in the title race and leave their destiny in their own hands, as victories in their two remaining games would guarantee first place by at least a point, whatever happened in Al-Nassr’s final game.
Despite these highest of stakes, the opening half was played at a frantic pace. Both sides pushed aggressively in transition rather than settling into a cautious rhythm, with chances emerging at both ends early on.
Al-Hilal threatened first, when Karim Benzema broke through from a low cross, only for Bento to produce an excellent save. Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had responded moments later, but his chance was ruled out for offside.
In the 18th minute, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic thought he had created the opener for Benzema, but the video assistant referee ruled this one out for offside, too, much to the frustration of Al-Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi.
As the half progressed, the game grew increasingly heated; midfield battles intensified, while both sides traded dangerous counterattacks in a spell that captured the relentless tempo of a potential title decider.
Yet despite some dangerous moments created by Al-Hilal, it was Al-Nassr who eventually made the breakthrough. A corner in the 37th minute bounced dangerously through the box and Mohammed Simakan was quickest to react, forcing the loose ball into the net and sending the home crown wild.
The second half unfolded at a much more cautious pace. With the title in the balance, both sides appeared increasingly wary of any costly mistakes.
Ronaldo threatened early on after finding space in the box but the Portuguese forward fired over the crossbar. From that point on, however, clear-cut chances became increasingly rare.
Al-Hilal enjoyed more possession after the break, with combinations between Benzema and Salem Al-Dawsari offering some brief signs of danger, but the visitors struggled to truly test Bento.
The introduction of Marcos Leonardo and Sultan Mandash midway through the half did little to inject any sense of urgency into Inzaghi’s side. Meanwhile, Al-Nassr opted for control over risk as the tempo steadily dropped. With the clock ticking down, Al-Nassr appeared increasingly comfortable protecting their slender advantage.
Ronaldo was eventually withdrawn late in the second half, replaced by Abdullah Al-Hamdan, and he left the pitch to deafening cheers as he rallied the home crowd.
But Al-Nassr’s sense of comfort ultimately proved to be misplaced when Al-Hilal somehow found their dramatic late equalizer with the final chance of the game to keep their title hopes alive, as Bento’s blunder allowed the ball to slip behind him and into the net, sending the away fans into raptures.
The draw means Al-Nassr remain in top spot on 83 points, with Al-Hilal in second place on 78. If Al-Hilal can win their game in hand against NEOM on May 16, the league title will be decided on May 21 when Al-Nassr play relegation battlers Damac, and Al-Hilal face 10th-place Al-Fayha.
