Al Nassr climbs to third with dominant win over Al Khaleej, Al Qadsiah slips after loss to Damac
RIYADH — Al Nassr surged into third place in the Saudi Pro League with a 3-1 victory over Al Kholood on Friday, capitalizing on Al Qadsiah's defeat to Damac in Round 25 of the competition.
Ronaldo, Mané, Durán on target in first-half blitz
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, and Jhon Durán all found the net in a dominant first half for Al Nassr, securing a comfortable win despite being reduced to 10 men in the second half.
Ronaldo, the league's top scorer with 19 goals, opened the scoring in the 4th minute, pouncing on a rebound after Durán's initial strike hit the right post, before bouncing off the left post and into his path.
Moments later, Al Kholood thought they had equalized through Miziane Maolida, but VAR ruled it offside.
Al Nassr doubled their lead in the 26th minute when Salem Al-Najdi delivered a pinpoint cross that Mané met with a sublime first-time finish into the net.
Durán added a third just four minutes before halftime, collecting a pass from Angelo Gabriel and firing a low shot past the keeper.
Al Nassr holds firm despite red card
Al Nassr had to play the final half-hour with 10 men after Nawaf Boushal received a second yellow card. Head coach Stefano Pioli responded with a triple substitution in the 61st minute, bringing on Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem, Ayman Yahya, and Majid Fashish for Ronaldo, Gabriel, and Ali Al-Hassan.
Al Kholood pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute when Jackson Muleka's shot deflected off Ali Lajami and past goalkeeper Bento Matheus.
Mané thought he had restored Al Nassr's three-goal lead three minutes later, but his strike was ruled out for a foul in the buildup.
With the win, Al Nassr moved level on 51 points with Al Qadsiah but climbed to third on goal difference. Al Kholood remains 10th with 31 points.
Damac stuns Al Qadsiah with stoppage-time penalty
Al Qadsiah slipped to fourth place after a 1-0 defeat to Damac, with Habib Diallo scoring a last-gasp penalty in stoppage time.
The result leaves Al Qadsiah on 51 points, trailing Al Nassr on goal difference, while Damac climbs to 12th with 27 points.
Al Wehda cruises past Al Khaleej
Elsewhere, Al Wehda secured a 2-0 win over Al Khaleej, with Juninho Bacuna scoring inside two minutes, followed by Youssef Amin's second-half goal in the 63rd minute.
The win lifts Al Wehda to 20 points in 16th place, while Al Khaleej stays 11th with 30 points.
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