Al-Nassr continued their winning run, but only just. A determined Neom FC outfit not only denied the title chasers for almost the entire match, but were unfortunate to score themselves when they hit the Al-Nassr cross-bar twice over.
With Ronaldo conspicuous by his absence, Al-Nassr under huge pressure to win to stay atop the RSL table, Manager Jorge Jesus once again had to strategise without his talismanic captain. With victories for title rivals Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal, it was imperative for Al-Nassr to keep winning. A slip here and the title hopes might just take a beating.
Al-Nassr came out strongly, played lovely, fluent football with Joao Felix once again at the heart of it. Moving beautifully and in sync with Sadio Mane, Coman, Angelo and Alhamddan, Felix was the focal point of almost all Al-Nassr moves.
The finishing, though, was a lot to be desired, and then Maximiano, the outrageously brilliant Neom goalkeeper was at his exceptional best. Standing like an impermeable wall in front of his goal. Just nothing could pass him. Felix had several chances to score but could not pass Maximiano. Mane, Coman, Alhamddan and Angelo, all had clear chances but failed to score.
No wonder there were a few boos from the home fans at the Al Awwal Park in Riyadh as a draw seemed imminent. Bento, Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper, too made a few outstanding saves. Neom were unlucky too with strikes from Rayane Messi and Said Benrahma hit the crossbar.
Al-Nassr, however persevered and just before the final whistle, a brilliant curling free-kick from none other than Joao Felix found Simikan perfectly. The French centre-back headed the ball home from close range with a composed finish, sending the home fans into a rapturous frenzy.
The Knights of Najd had snatched a vital three points as the long whistle blew. They had escaped unscathed and were lucky to survive. The win put Al-Nassr once again on top of the RSL with two points clear of Al-Ahli and three points clear of Al-Hilal.
Jorge Jesus was a relieved man as he grapples with the uncertainty of Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence. However, it has to be said that Al-Nassr are learning to win without Ronaldo which augurs well for the club going forward.
Whether Ronaldo will stay with Al-Nassr next season, is everyone’s guess, but if he bids adieu, Mo Salah might just fit in perfectly.
And a word for Maximiano. The Portuguese has made a statement and must have drawn huge interest from clubs worldwide after his staggering performance last night.