Al Nassr's unbeaten start to the Saudi Pro League season is over. A 2-1 defeat to Al Ittihad on Saturday was the first blemish on their record this campaign, and it arrived with enough surrounding controversy to keep the club in the headlines well beyond the final whistle.

The loss itself was damaging enough. George Ilenikhena scored twice inside the opening 22 minutes at King Abdullah Sports City, and although Ângelo Gabriel pulled one back, Al Nassr could not find an equaliser. The result leaves them second in the table on 12 points after five games, three behind a perfect Al Hilal side and level with Al Qadsiah on points.

What followed the defeat added further noise around the club. João Félix made comments after the match that spread rapidly on social media, with some accounts attributing inflammatory remarks about the Saudi league to the Portuguese winger. Sources close to the player denied the most damaging versions of those quotes, and a legal analyst suggested any genuine violation would carry a fine of no more than 100,000 riyals. Meanwhile, fabricated quotes were also falsely attributed to manager Ange Postecoglou, who had defended his players after the game and pushed back on criticism of their performance.

Off the pitch, Al Nassr confirmed that winger Abdulrahman Ghareeb has extended his contract until 2028, a rare piece of positive squad news for a club still operating under financial monitoring restrictions. They return to Al-Awwal Park on Wednesday to face Abha.