Al Nassr claimed an important 2-0 victory over Al Ittihad in a high-stakes Saudi Professional League conflict as we speak at Alinma Financial institution Stadium in Jeddah. In a tense contest that remained scoreless deep into the second half, late objectives from Sadio Mané and Ângelo lastly separated the perimeters, a consequence that additional fuels the title race.
The end result adopted the gritty narrative already constructing across the fixture, particularly with Cristiano Ronaldo lacking the match, as beforehand reported by SoftFootball.
The breakthrough mirrored the strain Al Nassr had steadily utilized, a theme highlighted in SoftFootball’s protection of Mané’s rising affect in decisive moments. With leaders Al Hilal nonetheless in sight, this win allowed Al Nassr to strengthen their place close to the summit whereas dealing a psychological blow to one among their fiercest rivals.
After a cagey first half the place possibilities have been restricted, Al Nassr’s persistence paid off within the eighty fifth minute. A VAR overview noticed a handball contained in the field that had initially gone unnoticed. Mané stepped up and confirmed trademark composure, calmly changing the penalty to present his facet a deserved lead in a match outlined by nice margins.
Al Ittihad responded by committing numbers ahead, however that gamble proved expensive. Within the 90+seventh minute, Al Nassr broke at tempo, and Ângelo completed off a swift counterattack to seal the consequence. The late objective underlined Al Nassr’s medical edge and punished Al Ittihad for overextending in the hunt for an equaliser.
Tactically, the encounter was finely balanced. Al Nassr loved 51 per cent possession and registered 15 photographs, 4 of which examined the goalkeeper. Al Ittihad managed simply 5 makes an attempt and struggled to show their defensive self-discipline into an attacking menace.
Jorge Jesus’ 4-4-1-1 system ensured midfield management, whereas João Félix operated intelligently behind Mané. Sergio Conceicao’s 4-2-3-1 relied closely on Moussa Diaby and Houssem Aouar, however each have been largely contained.
Self-discipline additionally performed a job, with six yellow playing cards proven total, 4 of them to Al Ittihad. Strategic substitutions from Al Nassr helped see out the sport and handle fatigue within the closing phases.
The consequence, shared by the membership’s official X account, tightens the 2025–26 Saudi Professional League title race, as Al Nassr edge nearer to Al Hilal whereas leaving Al Ittihad below rising strain within the battle for the highest 4.
