Video: Braga’s heroic save slows down Tony as Ronaldo trips up his rival—a Saudi Pro League night of near-misses

Match recap

The Brazilian goalkeeper Victor Braga became the name everyone was talking about after he pulled off the improbable, saving a penalty from Ivan Tony, the English striker for Al Ahli Jeddah.

Al Najma visited Al Ahli at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, in the 23rd round of the Roshen Saudi Pro League.

In the 37th minute, Braga denied Tony from the spot, the Englishman’s first miss in the Saudi Pro League after 17 successful penalties across a season and a half.

The save marked Braga’s second penalty stop in the division and his first in roughly three and a half years.

The only other penalty he had saved in the league before this was on 14 September 2022, when he was with Al Ta’ee and saved Moroccan Morad Batna, helping his side to a narrow win.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Al Nassr, had previously scored two penalties against Braga when the Portuguese was at Al Ta’ee during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Overall, the Brazilian goalkeeper had conceded 41 goals in 21 matches this season across league and cup before this clash with Al Ahli.

The encounter took place at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah during the 23rd round of the Roshen Saudi Pro League, a fixture that left fans buzzing about Braga’s standout moment and the ongoing duel between Tony and the league’s best.

Punchlines: If penalties were a comedy, Braga just delivered the perfect one-liner. Tony’s miss might need a map—Braga just drew a line in the sand and said, “Try me again.”