“George Ilenikhena opens the scoring moments after Ronaldo's early shot was saved at the other end.”
Pivotal“After a spell of Al Nassr offsides going against the flow of play, Ilenikhena doubles his tally, assisted by Houssem Aouar, to put Al Ittihad firmly in control.”
Pivotal“Ângelo pulls one back for Al Nassr after sustained pressure and back-to-back corners, giving the visitors hope going into the break.”
Al Ittihad
Al Nassr
Outstanding performance
Al Ittihad•AttackerAl Ittihad struck twice in the opening 22 minutes through George Ilenikhena to blindside a heavily favored Al Nassr side, who responded through Ângelo just before half-time but could never find the equalizer. Al Nassr dominated the underlying numbers - 54% possession, 16 shots to 15, and a staggering 14 corners to 3 - yet were let down by profligacy in front of goal, missing five big chances compared to Al Ittihad's one. Ronaldo saw an early effort saved before Ilenikhena punished the hosts twice, and despite Al Nassr's five substitutions and territorial control in the second half, Al Ittihad's defense - marked by 7 saves and 13 tackles - held firm. The result is a significant statement for Al Ittihad given their lower pre-match form and momentum ratings, while Al Nassr's title-race credentials take a hit after a display long on possession but short on cutting edge.
How entertaining was this match?
Youssef En-NesyriYellow CardYoussef En-Nesyri receives a yellow card.
Sadio Mane's left-footed shot is saved.
Abdulelah Al-AmriYellow CardYellow card shown to Abdulelah Al-Amri.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Joao Felix Sequeira takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Rakan Al-Kaabi replaces Steven Bergwijn.
Marwan Al-Sahafi takes a header but misses the shot.
Corner awarded.
Ayman Yahya takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Abdullah Al-KhaibariYellow CardYellow card issued to Abdullah Al Khaibari.
Shot by Mohamed Simakan with a header, but it misses the target.
Corner awarded.
Abdullah Al Khaibari comes on for Samuel Almeida Costa.
Abdulla Al Hamdan is on, and Angelo Gabriel Borges Damaceno is off.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Joao Felix Sequeira takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Youssef En-Nesyri attempted a header but missed the shot.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
João FélixYellow CardYellow card issued to Joao Felix Sequeira.
Youssef En-Nesyri is on, and George Ilenikhena is off.
Marwan Al-Sahafi comes on for Ahmed Alghamdi.
Samuel Almeida Costa takes a shot with his head, but it is saved.
Corner awarded.
Angelo Gabriel Borges Damaceno takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Saad Al-Nasser is substituted for Salem Al Najdi.
Ayman Yahya comes on for Kingsley Coman.
Ahmed Alghamdi takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Angelo Gabriel Borges Damaceno takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Dion Lopy takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Yellow card shown to Samuel Almeida Costa.
Joao Felix Sequeira takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Muhannad Mustafa Shanqeeti is on, and Ahmed Al Julaydan is off.
Dion LopyYellow CardDion Lopy receives a yellow card.
Dion Lopy takes a left-footed shot but misses.
George Ilenikhena takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Substitution: Richard Rios comes on for Mukhtar Ali.
First half ends with a score of 2-1.
Ahmed Alghamdi takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
ÂngeloAngelo Gabriel Borges Damaceno takes a left-footed shot and scores.
Joao Felix Sequeira takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Goal! Angelo Gabriel Borges scores for Damaceno, making it 2-1.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
George IlenikhenaShot on goal! George Ilenikhena takes a left-footed shot and scores.
assist: Houssem Aouar
Goal! George Ilenikhena scores to make it 2-0, assisted by Houssem Aouar.
Offside.
Offside.
Offside.
Danilo Luis Helio Pereira attempts a header but misses the shot.
Corner awarded.
Ahmed Alghamdi takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
George Ilenikhena takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Offside.
Danilo Luis Helio Pereira takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Goal! The score is now 2-0.
George IlenikhenaShot by George Ilenikhena with a header results in a goal.
Steven Bergwijn takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Houssem Aouar's header is blocked.
Goal! George Ilenikhena scores to make it 1-0.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Kick-off! The referee is Khaled Al Teris.
Al Nassr ride a four-match winning streak into Jeddah looking to keep pace at the top, while Al Ittihad aim to bounce back from a goalless stalemate with Al-Fateh. With Cristiano Ronaldo and company in red-hot form against a resilient Ittihad side, this Pro League clash carries real derby heat.
