Ronaldo finds the net, but Al Nassr bottle the lead to end their 10-game winning streak

Al Nassr went into their final match of 2025 sitting top of the Saudi Pro League after ten consecutive victories. Many expected a straightforward win for Ronaldo and his teammates, but the game quickly took an unexpected turn. In the fifth minute, Saad Fahad Al Nasser fouled Madallah Alolayan and was initially shown a straight red card, only for the referee to overturn the decision after a VAR review.

Despite that reprieve, Al Nassr struggled. Al Ettifaq created several chances and took the lead in the 16th minute when Georginio Wijnaldum finished a swift counter-attack to open the scoring. Al Nassr searched for an equaliser in multiple ways but could not break through before half-time, going into the interval trailing 1-0.

The second half began brightly for the hosts, with João Félix scoring just one minute after the restart, firing a shot through a crowded penalty area to make it 1-1. Twenty minutes later, Ronaldo finally got on the scoresheet. Another long-range effort from João Félix took a deflection off Ronaldo’s back and looped into the net, giving Al Nassr the lead.

However, Al Ettifaq responded quickly. From a long ball forward, Radhi Al-Otaibi controlled possession and cut the ball back to Wijnaldum, who calmly finished to complete his brace and level the score once again. Neither side managed to find a winner in the closing stages, and the match ended 2-2.

After the game, Al Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus defended his team’s performance: “Some of the questions carried a sense of doubt about the players, their abilities, and the positives. They weren’t the kind of questions you’d expect for a team that has drawn after a run of victories and dominated all of its matches.”

The draw ended Al Nassr’s ten-match winning run in the Saudi Pro League. They remain top of the table, but the gap has narrowed. Al Taawoun, considered a dark horse this season, extended their unbeaten run to 12 matches and are now just three points behind. Al-Hilal could close the gap to two points if they beat Al-Kholood in their upcoming fixture.

Looking ahead, Al Nassr will face Al Ahli on 3 January, followed by Al Qadsiah on 9 January, before a potentially title-defining clash with Al Hilal on 13 January.