Live Action: Al Ittihad v Al Nassr (Saudi Pro League)
Leaders-Mena magazine provided a live coverage of Friday’s game between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr in the in the 13th week of the Saudi Pro League.
Fulltime: Al Ittihad 2-1 Al Nassr
Scorers: K. Benzema 55′, S. Bergwijn 90+1’/ C. Ronaldo 57′
Yellow cards:
Marcelo Brozovic, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Aymeric Laporte, Otavio (Al Nassr)
Danilo Pereira, Steven Bergwijn, Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad)
Lineups:
Al Ittihad: Predrag Rajković – Muhannad Al-Shanqiti (Fawaz Al-Sagour 84), Danilo Pereira, Hassan Kadesh, Mario Mitaj – N’Golo Kanté, Houssem Aouar, Fabinho – Abdulrahman Al-Oboud (Abdulelah Al-Amri 46), Karim Benzema, Steven Bergwijn
Al Nassr: Bento – Sultan Al-Ghannam, Mohamed Simakan, Aymeric Laporte, Nawaf Al-Boushail – Abdullah Al Khaibari, Otavio, Marcelo Brozović – Angelo Gabriel (Abdulrahman Ghareeb 72), Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané
90+8′ Match ends.
90+7′ Al Nassr win a free kick in the defensive half
90+5′ Al Nassr’s Abdulrahman Ghareeb is caught offside
90+3′ Substitution for Al Nassr: Mohamed Maran comes in for Abdullah Al-Khaibari
90+2′ Substitution for Al Ittihad: Saleh Al-Shehri replaces Steven Bergwijn
(GOAL) Steven Bergwijn converts Mario Mitaj’s pass with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
90+1′ GOOAAAL.. Al Ittihad double the score
90′ Fourth official announces 6 minutes of added time
88′ Throw in for Al Nassr
84′ Substitution for Al Ittihad: Fawaz Al-Sagour replaces Muhannad Al-Shanqiti.
83′ Sultan Al Ghannam strikes the ball with his left foot from the right side of the box, but it misses to the right.
81′ Sadio Mané’s right-footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
75′ Corner kick for Al Ittihad
72′ Substitution for Al Nassr: Abdulrahman Ghareeb comes in for Angelo
71′ Abdullah Al-Khaibari’s right-footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
70′ Throw in for Al Ittihad in the attacking half
69′ Cristiano Ronaldo is caught offside
67′ Karim Benzema and Otávio receive yellow cards.
65′ Throw in for Al Ittihad
64′ Steven Bergwijn receives yellow card
63′ Throw in for Al Ittihad
60′ Just at the hour mark, the game remains tied, with Al Nassr dominating the game with 64% possession.
(GOAL) Cristiano Ronaldo meets Ângelo’s pass with a powerful right-footed strike from close range to the centre of the goal.
57′ GOOAAAL.. Al Nassr equalize
(GOAL) Karim Benzema converts Muhannad Al-Shanqiti’s pass following a fast break with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
55′ GOOAAAL.. Al Ittihad score
54′ Sadio Mané wins a free kick on the left wing.
50′ Al Nassr win a free kick in their own half
49′ Throw in for Al Ittihad
47′ Mohamed Simakan wins a free kick in the defensive half
46′ Second half begins.
46′ Substitution for Al Ittihad: Abdulelah Al-Amri replaces Abdulrahman Al-Oboud.
Halftime
45+3′ First half ends.
45′ the Fourth official announces 2 minutes of added time
44′ Goal kick for Al Nassr
42′ Al-Ghannam receives a yellow card.
42′ Al Nassr’s Sultan Al-Ghannam commits a foul
40′ Al Ittihad goalkeeper Rajković produces an excellent save, denying Otávio’s right-footed strike from outside the box
38′ Throw in for Al Nassr
35′ Cristiano Ronaldo is caught offside
34′ Foul by Al Nassr’s Ângelo
28′ Karim Benzema’s right-footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner
27’ Steven Bergwijn responses to Abdulrahman Al Obud’s cross with a right-footed strike from outside the box, but the goalkeeper produces a great save in the centre of the goal.
24′ Marcelo Brozovic gets a yellow card for a bad foul.
22′ Karim Benzema‘s right-footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right.
20′ Goal kick for Al Ittihad.
18′ Otávio wins a free kick for Al Nassr in the attacking half.
12′ Sadio Mané wins a free kick in the attacking half.
11′ Al Nassr’s Abdullah Al Khaibari commits a foul.
4′ Houssem Aouar wins a free kick in the defensive half.
3′ Al Ittihad’s Steven Bergwijn commits a foul.
2′ Nawaf Al-Boushail wins a free kick for Al Nassr in the defensive half.
1′ First half begins.
17:00 Al Ittihad manager Laurent Blanc anticipates the clash against Al Nassr to highlight the competition’s best. “It’s the same everywhere—in France, in Europe—these matches matter to both clubs,” Blanc said. “But every game in the championship is crucial. This one is particularly important for the club, players, and fans. Expectations are high. It’s a great game for both teams to play.”
16:00 Al Nassr have received a significant double boost with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo and Aymeric Laporte fit to play after recovering from injuries. Meanwhile, Al Ittihad may miss the injured trio of Abdulaziz Al Bishi, Luiz Felipe, and Moussa Diaby.
Possible Lineups:
Al Ittihad: Rajkovic (GK); Mitaj, Pereira, Kadesh, Shanqeeti; Fabinho, Kante; Bergwijn, Aouar, Hawsawi; Benzema
Al Nassr: Krepski (GK); Al Ghanam, Simakan, Laporte, Al-Boushail; Alkhaibari, Brozovic; Talisca, Otavio, Mane; Ronaldo
15:00 Historically, Al Ittihad hold the edge in their head-to-head record, with 31 wins from 68 meetings. Al Nassr have emerged victorious 19 times, while 18 encounters ended in draws. Their last meeting was in May 2024, when Al Nassr secured a 4-2 home victory.
14:00 The Jeddah giants enter the clash after a commanding 4-0 league win over Al Ettifaq last week. Meanwhile, the visitors suffered a surprising 2-1 home defeat to Al Sadd in the AFC Champions League Elite.
One final chapter in 2024 📖
All in for the win! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/NG43hlQxMj— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) December 3, 2024
13:00 Hosts Al Ittihad aim to extend their lead atop the Saudi Pro League with 33 points, two clear of defending champions Al Hilal. Third-placed Al Nassr, on 25 points, will be seeking a crucial win to narrow the gap with their rivals.
12:00 Al Ittihad are set to clash with Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League’s 13th matchday at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Friday, promising an electrifying encounter between two Saudi football giants.
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)
