Ronaldo scored, but Al Nassr suffered their second consecutive defeat

The defeat against Al Qadsiah increased the distance between Al Nassr and Ronaldo and the league leaders in the Saudi Pro League.

Going into the match against Al Qadsiah, Al Nassr faced pressure to win in order to keep up with Al Hilal in the rankings. Although the opponent is in the top 5 and confidently pressed at times, Al Nassr created more dangerous chances in the first half. However, it was a forgettable half for the home side’s attack as their forwards repeatedly missed clear opportunities.

Kingsley Coman failed to beat the opposing goalkeeper after Ronaldo set him up, while the Portuguese star himself missed an unbelievable shot. Even during a 2-on-1 counterattack, Joao Felix acted selfishly by taking the ball into a tight angle, followed by Coman’s volley over the bar with no defenders marking him.

Before the attacking struggles were resolved, Al Nassr’s defense gifted a goal to the opponent. In the 50th minute, goalkeeper Al Aqidi made a costly mistake by rushing out of the penalty area and passing the ball into Julian Quinones’ head, allowing the striker to easily score into an open net.

By the 66th minute, Al Qadsiah doubled their lead after a sharp counterattack. Quinones again beat an Al Nassr defender before delivering a perfect cross; although Retegui’s shot was blocked, Nahitan Nandez was there to tap in, raising the score to 2-0 to the astonishment of the crowd at Mrsool Park.

In desperate late efforts, Al Nassr managed to reduce the deficit thanks to an opposing defender handling the ball inside the penalty area in the 81st minute. From the penalty spot, Cristiano Ronaldo calmly converted to reignite hope for his team.

However, even with 11 minutes of added time in the second half, Al Nassr only managed ineffective crosses and were completely powerless to find an equalizer. The 1-2 loss allowed Al Hilal to extend their lead to 4 points, making Al Nassr’s title ambitions this season more challenging than ever.