Al-Nassr kept their Saudi Pro League title hopes firmly alive with a commanding 3-0 victory over Al-Kholood, as Cristiano Ronaldo found the net and Joao Felix delivered a standout performance. The result marks a fourth consecutive league win for Jorge Jesus’ side and cuts the gap to leaders Al-Hilal to just three points, adding further pressure at the top of the table.
Ronaldo and Felix were central to everything positive for Al-Nassr, with the veteran striker opening the scoring, Felix supplying two assists, and Kingsley Coman sealing the contest from the penalty spot late on.
Al-Nassr dominate from the opening whistle
From the first moments at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, Al-Nassr asserted control. Felix linked up neatly with Sadio Mane inside the opening two minutes, creating an early chance that the Senegalese attacker headed wide. The Portuguese playmaker was heavily involved again moments later, threading a pass that allowed Ronaldo to fire goalwards, only for teenager Mansour Camara to make a crucial clearance on the line.
The pressure continued to build. Ronaldo mistimed a header from a dangerous cross, while Felix again tested the Al-Kholood defence with clever movement between the lines. Despite enjoying more possession as the half wore on, the hosts struggled to create meaningful openings, with Al-Nassr consistently looking the sharper side.
Mane went close after being picked out by Felix, while Mohamed Simakan saw his powerful header kept out by goalkeeper Juan Pablo Cozzani. Al-Kholood were relieved to reach half-time level, helped by a brave intervention from John Buckley, who threw himself in front of Ronaldo to block a goal-bound effort. They were also spared when Mane had the ball in the net, only for the move to be ruled out due to a marginal offside in the build-up involving Felix.
Ronaldo strikes as Felix takes control
Any hopes Al-Kholood had of regrouping after the break were swiftly dashed. Just two minutes into the second half, Felix timed his run perfectly to beat the offside line before squaring unselfishly for Ronaldo, who slid the ball into an unguarded net. The goal was Ronaldo’s 17th of the league season and the 961st of his extraordinary career, moving him within one of Golden Boot leader Ivan Toney.
The visitors barely had time to reset before conceding again. From a Felix corner, Simakan rose highest to power home a header, doubling Al-Nassr’s advantage and underlining the visitors’ superiority. Felix’s second assist of the night capped another influential display from the 26-year-old.
With a two-goal cushion, Al-Nassr played with confidence and composure, while Al-Kholood struggled to cope with the pace and movement of Ronaldo, Felix and Mane. The home side’s frustration eventually boiled over when captain Hatan Bahbri was shown a red card for elbowing Simakan off the ball following a VAR review, leaving his team a man down for the final 20 minutes.
Coman seals the points from the spot
The numerical advantage allowed Al-Nassr to see the game out comfortably, and the victory was confirmed late on when Ramzi Solan fouled Coman inside the penalty area. With Ronaldo and Mane already substituted, the French winger stepped up and confidently sent Cozzani the wrong way to make it 3-0.
Felix claims MVP honours
While Ronaldo added another goal to his remarkable tally, the standout performer on the night was undoubtedly Felix. The former Atletico Madrid forward was at the heart of Al-Nassr’s attacking play, supplying assists for both the opening goals and constantly troubling the Al-Kholood back line with his movement and creativity.
Felix also came close to adding a spectacular goal of his own, attempting an audacious rabona effort just after the hour mark that forced Cozzani into a fine save. It would have been a fitting end to a dominant individual performance.
A difficult night for Al-Kholood
Al-Kholood were second best throughout and struggled to match the quality and intensity of their opponents. The sending-off of Bahbri compounded an already difficult evening, with the captain’s moment of indiscipline likely to have further consequences for his side in the coming weeks.
For Al-Nassr, however, the message is clear. With momentum building and key players hitting form, they are firmly back in the title race — and Al-Hilal now know the pressure is on.
