Cristiano Ronaldo scored and was substituted with a smile; Al Nassr suffers 3 consecutive defeats, losing 11 points in 4 rounds, while Al Hilal leads by 7 points.

At 01:30 AM on January 13th Beijing time, the 15th round of the Saudi Pro League featured the Riyadh derby, also a battle for first place, as Al Hilal hosted Al Nassr at home.

In the first half, Coman’s low shot created danger, Ronaldo’s strike broke the deadlock, and Al Nassr led 1-0 at halftime; in the second half, Malcolm won a penalty which Dosari converted to equalize, Archidi was sent off with a straight red for elbowing Ruben Neves, Kanu scored as a substitute to take the lead, and Ruben Neves extended the lead with a penalty.

In the end, Al Hilal came from behind to win 3-2 at home against Al Nassr, handing Al Nassr their third consecutive defeat and four rounds without a win, losing 11 points. Al Hilal has now won 19 consecutive matches across all competitions and leads the Saudi Pro League by 7 points, effectively securing the league title over Al Nassr, meaning Ronaldo will lose the Saudi league crown again this season.

For the match between Al Hilal and Al Nassr, Inzaghi deployed a 3-4-3 formation with Malcolm and Nunes leading the attack, Theo as wing-back, Milinković anchored midfield, and Ruben Neves playing as a central defender, with a combined starting lineup value of €129 million; Jesus used a 4-4-1-1 formation with Ronaldo upfront, Felix behind him, Bruno and Coman in midfield, and Inigo and Simakan in defense, with a starting lineup value of €109 million.

Looking at the lineups, the teams were fairly evenly matched, but the biggest difference between Al Hilal and Al Nassr was tactics. Al Hilal played collective football, while Al Nassr relied on Ronaldo’s style. Al Hilal has adopted an Italian approach, which may not look flashy but is steady and solid under Inzaghi. Al Nassr’s attacks revolve around Ronaldo, who mostly waits upfront for the ball, making their tactics predictable and easy to counter. Jesus, facing his former club, tries to make Ronaldo comfortable, sacrificing overall tactical sharpness and fluidity.

Ronaldo was excellent, scoring again as the Portuguese superstar netted once more, but his team lost. When Al Nassr trailed 1-3, Ronaldo was substituted early and appeared cheerful on the bench. However, Al Nassr’s situation is grim, with three straight defeats in the Saudi league and only one draw in the last four matches, losing 11 points and falling from 4 points ahead to 7 points behind Al Hilal. It’s clear Ronaldo and Al Nassr have effectively lost the league title this season. Perhaps Ronaldo’s main focus is reaching 1000 career goals; while the team loses the title, he still smiles, which surely frustrates the club’s management and fans. In Ronaldo’s fourth season with Al Nassr, he faces another lost title, still with zero trophies.

Throughout the entire match,Al Hilal held 52% possession, with 8 shots including 3 on target; Al Nassr had 9 shots but only 1 on target.