RIYADH — Al Nassr football team continued its winning streak and demonstrated to its traditional rival, Al Hilal — the current leader of the league standings, that it is a strong contender for the league title. In the match Saturday, Al Nassr defeated Al Taawoun with a 4-1 scoreline, marking the end of the third day of the 19th round of the Saudi Professional League. Al Nassr closed the gap to seven points with league leader Al Hilal, moving up to 46 points, while Al Hilal remains ahead with 53 points. Al Nassr turned the game around against their host Al Taawoun, who initially took an early lead with a goal from Ashraf El Mahdioui in the 13th minute from a penalty. However, Al Nassr's goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi initially saved the penalty before El Mahdioui successfully scored on the rebound. The situation initially seemed challenging for Al Nassr when their captain and star player Cristiano Ronaldo received an early yellow card. Nevertheless, Al Nassr quickly equalized through Marcelo Brozović, followed by Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte scoring the second goal before the end of the first half. Al Nassr started the second half with a rapid third goal by Portuguese player Otávio, and team captain Cristiano Ronaldo sealed victory with a goal in the second minute of stoppage time. Meanwhile, in Riyadh, Al Shabab successfully returned to its winning ways, achieving a crucial victory against Al Wehda, in a match following the departure of their Croatian coach Igor Bišćan. Young striker Abdullah Radif secured the win for Al Shabab by scoring the sole goal of the match just five minutes before the end. This victory boosted Al Shabab's morale, raising their points to 21 and advancing them to the 11th position, while Al Wehda remains at 25 points, occupying the 9th spot in the standings.
