Riyadh Derby: Self goal costs Al Nassr a certain victory over Al Hilal
Al Nassr had almost clinched the Saudi Pro League title 2026 Tuesday May 12, 2026 but for the self goal in the fag end of the match which denied the Cristiano Ronaldo’s men a certain victory against key rival Al Hilal.
Saudi Pro League 2025/26: Al Nassr had almost clinched the Saudi Pro League title 2026 Tuesday May 12, 2026 with SPL Group matches still left but for the self goal in the fag end of the match which denied the Cristiano Ronaldo’s men a certain victory against key rival Al Hilal.
Enthusiasm was palpable long before the two teams hit Al Awwal Park Stadium for the Riyadh Derby with the whole of the Capital gripping into football fever through the days.
On the match day, Al Hilal Vs. Al Nassr Capital Derby Tuesday was spectacular to watch with fans sitting in almost every corner of the stadium. Those who could not make it to the Al Awwal Park were glued to their screen for the live transmission.
The footballers did not disappoint the fans, and provided some excellent footballing in the match that was surely in favour of the favorite Al Nassr but ended in a draw.
Al Nassr vs Al Hilal Highlights
Al Nassr vs Al Hilal Capital Derby Tuesday was important for both the teams. An Al Nassr win could have fulfilled Ronaldo’s dream of clinching the team’s first Saudi Pro League title since 2018/19. For Al Hilal, a win in the Riyadh Derby meant it remains in the SPL 2026 Title Race.
Realising this, the footballers from both the teams were aggressive and in attacking mode from the kick-start. Karim Benzema had almost given Al Hilal the much needed early lead - first 4 minutes into the match and later in a one-on-one with Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento Matheus in the 18th minute. Benzema thought he had scored and even celebrated, but VAR ruled the goal out because Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was offside in the build-up, and hence the strike was disallowed.
From then on, both the teams missed chances and then Al Nassr defender Mohamed Simakan capitalised on a loose ball from a corner to score in the 37th minute giving the team the much needed lead.
Al Nassr had almost doubled its lead barely few minutes later when Kingsley Coman was in a one-on-one chance with Al Hilal goalkeeper. He however squandered the clear chance to extend Al-Nassr's lead with this opportunity.
In the second half, Ronaldo missed a good chance from inside the box, shooting over the bar. He later created another opportunity for Felix, but the shot was blocked by the defence.
As the game went on, the tempo dropped and players started to feel the strain. Brozovic went off injured, while Al Hilal made three changes, including substituting Benzema by choice.
Al Nassr Skipper Cristiano Ronaldo too was replaced in the 83rd minute. He was watching from the stands the match going into eight minutes of added time and Al Nassr firmly having the grip on the match. But in the final moments, everything changed.
The scoreboard, which was signing with 1-0 for Al Nassr, changed to 1-1. It was after an Al-Hilal player launched a powerful throw-in into the penalty area. A clear miscommunication between Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento and his team-mate Inigo Martínez led to the ball slipping through his grasp and rolling into the net.
Al Nassr Still Leads SPL Title Race
As the Riyadh Derby started Tuesday, Al Nassr was leading the Saudi Pro League standing table with 82 points, and al Hilal struggling at second place with 77 points. A victory against Al Hilal Tuesday would have made it pretty clear that Al Nassr is the Saudi Pro League 2025-26 Championship winner.
It did not happen as the match ended in a draw with both the teams winning 1 point each.
Al Nassr now leads the Saudi Pro League standings table with 83 points with a match left whereas Al Hilal, having scored 78 points, has been left with two matches to play against.
A victory against Damac on May 21, 2026 will take Al Nassr’s total points to 86, and even if Al Hilal wins both its matches – against Neom and Al Fahya, it will score six points and end with 84 points.
Thus despite the unwanted ending at the Capital Derby Tuesday, Al Nassr is ahead of Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League title race.
On personal level, Ronaldo is lagging behind Al Ahli’s Ivan Toney in Saudi Pro league Golden Boot Race. Ronaldo will need to score 6 goals in the Damac vs Al Nassr on May 21 if he wants to beat Toney and win SPL Golden Boot 2026.
Al Nassr has almost won the SPL 2026 Title. But, will Ronaldo win the SPL Golden Boot 2026? Football fans will have to wait till May 21 to know.
[Zohair Moahammed Safwan Faizee is Staff Writer at ummid.com]
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