Nine in a Row: Ronaldo’s Late Flourish Sends Nassr Past Al Khaleej 4-1
23 November 2025
Match recap
Al Nassr extended their dominant start to the Saudi Pro League with a ninth consecutive win, beating Al Khaleej 4-1 at The First Park in round nine.
João Félix opened the scoring in the 39th minute, and Wesley Teixeira added a second just before halftime in the 42nd.
Murad Hosawi pulled one back for Al Khaleej in the 47th minute, but Sadio Mané restored the three-goal cushion for Nassr in the 77th, and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the win with a stoppage-time strike.
The victory lifts Nassr to 27 points, top of the table with a four-point cushion over Al Hilal, while Al Khaleej remain on 14 in seventh.
Lineups and key moments
Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus made an early forced change when Kingsley Coman was ruled out with an injury, bringing Wesley Teixeira into the starting XI. Ayman Yahya returned to the lineup, Nawaf Boshl started on the bench, and Sultan Al-Ghannam lined up at right back.
Nassr lined up with Nawaf Al-Aqidi in goal; a back four of Sultan Al-Ghannam, Mohammed Simaqan, Inigo Martínez and Ayman Yahya; midfielders Wesley Teixeira, Marcelo Brozovic, Angelo, and Sadio Mané; and a front pairing of João Félix and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo tested Al Khaleej’s defense early, with Félix setting him up in the fifth minute, but the shot stayed out. He continued to threaten in the tenth minute when Mané cut in from the left and fed Ronaldo, only for Anthony Morris to save.
Felix had another chance at 31 minutes, but a handball by Marcelo Brozović blocked the ball before it reached him, and the goal was ruled out after a VAR review.
Felix finally broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, finishing a cross from Angelo after a Nassr buildup on the left.
Three minutes later Teixeira made it 2-0 with a close-range finish, and Al Khaleej pulled one back through Murad Hosawi in the 47th, leaving the intervals 2-1 at halftime.
Back to the restart, Nassr continued to press and Ronaldo tested Morris again around the 60th minute. Jesus then shuffled the midfield and defense, injecting fresh legs to seal the result.
In the 77th minute, Mané delivered the dagger, finishing a pass from Nawaf Boshl to make it 3-1. Al Khaleej pressed for a late goal, but Nawaf Al-Aqidi remained solid, while Dimitris of Al Khaleej was sent off in stoppage time for a dangerous challenge on Ali Al Hassan.
The closing moments belonged to Ronaldo, who sealed the 4-1 win in stoppage time with a clever back-heel finish after a cross from Nawaf Boshl.
