Demiral scored the winning goal in an intense derby match, marked by inspired performances from Galeno and Ivan Toney, putting Al Nassr’s lead at risk.
The classic match of the 13th round of the Saudi championship ended with Al Ahli winning 3-2 against Al Nassr, inflicting Jorge Jesus’ team’s first defeat in the competition.
RECORD THE FILM OF THE MEETING HERE.
The start was electric and in the very first minute Al Ahli came very close to scoring. Galeno found himself alone after a pass from Ivan Toney, forced a save from Nawaf, but Matheus Gonçalves unleashed a powerful shot that struck the crossbar. The warning turned into a goal shortly afterwards.
Seven minutes in, Galeno once again made the difference on the left flank, with a powerful run before delivering a low cross for Toney to tap in for 1-0. The Brazilian winger, formerly of FC Porto, remained unstoppable and, in the 11th minute, again broke down the left to assist Al Majrashi, who missed the chance to make it 2-0 by shooting wide.
The second goal would eventually come in the 20th minute, again on a counter-attack. A long, precise pass from Al Ghannam set up Ivan Toney, who didn’t hesitate in front of Nawaf and scored his second, putting Al Ahli in a comfortable position.
Al Nassr, managed by Jorge Jesus and with Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix in the starting eleven, responded and benefited from a glaring error to get back into the game. In the 31st minute, Al Amri took a long-range shot and the Al Ahli goalkeeper let the ball slip through his legs, reducing the score to 2-1.
The Riyadh team gained confidence and came close to equalizing before halftime. In the 41st minute, Cristiano Ronaldo headed dangerously just wide of the post, and in the 44th minute, the score became 2-2. A corner was taken by Brozovic and Al Amri, once again, rose highest to head the ball into the back of the net.
There was still time for more excitement in stoppage time. Galeno once again led a quick counter-attack and crossed for Toney, who hit the left post of the Al Nassr goal, missing out on a hat-trick by centimeters.
In the second half came the play that sealed the outcome. A free kick was taken near the area, Ivan Toney once again appeared as a key player, assisting the ball towards the center, and Merih Demiral, former Sporting defender, took advantage of a rebound to head the ball into the back of the net, making it 3-2 and restoring the lead to the Jeddah team.
Before the end of the match, Majrashi and João Félix clashed, with the Al Ahli full-back receiving a red card after punching the Portuguese player. Shortly afterwards, Boushal tackled Saleh when he was the last player before the Al Nassr penalty area and also received a red card from the referee.
With this result, Al Nassr loses for the first time in the championship, but remains in first place with 31 points, two more than Al Hilal, although they have played one more game. Al Ahli consolidates its fourth position, now with 25 points.