In the derby against Al Hilal, which ended 1-1, Jorge Jesus’ side was leading thanks to a goal from Simakan and was already preparing to celebrate, but a bizarre own goal by the Brazilian keeper in the final play of the match dashed any immediate festivities.
Cristiano Ronaldo was thus forced to put away his champion's sash in a dramatic finale that left the Portuguese captain visibly distraught on the bench.
With national team coach Roberto Martinez in the stands, the Riyadh derby began with a more assertive and dangerous Al Hilal, putting Jorge Jesus’ team on alert.
Just four minutes in, Karim Benzema squandered a clear chance one-on-one with Bento, a serious warning for the home side’s title ambitions. The French striker even celebrated in the 18th minute, but VAR confirmed Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was offside at the start of the move, ruling out the goal that would have silenced the stadium.
Meanwhile, Ruben Neves was everywhere defensively, shadowing Ronaldo and Joao Felix and even blocking a dangerous shot from the former Barcelona man that looked destined for goal.
As the clock approached the half-hour mark, the match became more physical and heated, with the referee forced to show three yellow cards in less than ten minutes to calm things down.
With the Portuguese duo kept in check, Sadio Mane tried to spark something for Al Nassr. However, the hydration break brought a major shift in the game’s rhythm.
After a defender cut out Felix’s pass to Ronaldo, the resulting corner saw Mohamed Simakan take advantage of the chaos in the box to score the opening goal.
Soon after, the captain tried his luck from distance, but Bono’s spectacular save kept the deficit to one.
In stoppage time, a huge mistake by Milinkovic-Savic gifted the ball to Kingsley Coman, but the Frenchman hit the post in a one-on-one with the keeper, ignoring Ronaldo, who was unmarked beside him.
Right after the restart, the Portuguese striker fired over from a good position in the box and then set up Felix for a shot that was blocked by the defence.
As the minutes ticked by, the pace slowed, and physical issues started to show: Brozovic had to come off injured, while Al Hilal responded with a triple substitution, with Benzema among those replaced by choice.
With 10 minutes left, it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s turn to make way for Al-Hamdan, firing up the crowd, as Al Nassr will play the Asian Champions League 2 final on Saturday (against Gamba Osaka). Jorge Jesus tightened up his team to protect the lead.
Even with eight minutes of added time, it seemed nothing could stop Al Nassr from clinching the title, until the unthinkable happened...
In the very last play, a long throw into the box saw Bento come off his line, collide with Inigo Martinez, and score an absolutely bizarre own goal that left the entire stadium in shock and nearly brought Ronaldo to tears on the bench.
It was a total gut punch in Riyadh: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, and Jorge Jesus saw their celebrations halted at the last gasp, leaving the league title still undecided.
Despite dominating and Simakan’s goal, the Brazilian keeper’s error means Al Nassr will have to wait a few more days to celebrate, in a dramatic ending that keeps the suspense alive in the Saudi league.
Even so, Al Nassr can still be crowned Saudi champions if they beat Damac in the final round, scheduled for May 21st. Before that, there’s the aforementioned final against Gamba Osaka.