Al-Nassr kept up their pursuit of top spot in the Saudi Pro League with an important 3-1 win over Al-Faisaly in the eleventh round. Three fresh points keep the global club firmly in the race for the summit.
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It took Al-Nassr barely any time to stamp their authority. Abdullah Al-Hamdan opened the scoring in the fourth minute, repaying the faith of Australian coach Ange Postecoglou, who picked him ahead of Brazilian Angelo Gabriel.
Cristiano Ronaldo stretched the lead four minutes into the second half, heading home in the 49th to leave his side in relative comfort. Then Theo Bongonda hauled Al-Faisaly back into it, pulling one back in the 66th minute to crank up the tension for the closing stages.
Angelo Gabriel settled it. The man who began the match on the bench drilled home from inside the box in the 79th minute, proving the value of Postecoglou's attacking substitutions and killing off Al-Faisaly's hopes of a comeback.
Victory took Al-Nassr to 25 points in second, level with leaders Al-Qadsiah ahead of the latter's clash with Al-Hilal in the same round. Al-Hilal, meanwhile, slipped to third, a point behind the leading pair but with a postponed match in hand that could reshape the picture entirely.
This was a third straight win. Al-Nassr beat Al-Diriyah 3-0, edged past Neom by a single goal, and have now seen off Al-Faisaly 3-1, stacking up positive results and building confidence for the challenges ahead.
From Al-Hamdan's early strike to Ronaldo's header and Angelo's decisive touch, Al-Nassr came away with another win that keeps them at the heart of the title fight. Now they wait on Al-Qadsiah against Al-Hilal, a result that could have a direct bearing on the top of the Roshn League table.