Abha make Al-Nassr pay for missed chances to snatch valuable SPL point

Al-Nassr dropped two points on Friday following a 2-2 draw at home to Abha, the visitors equalizing in added time after the hosts missed chances to seal their seventh successive win.

The late strike from Karl Toko Ekambi also prevented the Yellows from going second in the table.

Few would have predicted such an outcome in the first half as it took just three minutes for the hosts to give fans in Riyadh something to cheer about. Cristiano Ronaldo’s sublime backheel found Marcelo Brozovic on the left side of the area and the Croatian squared the ball to Otavio in a central position. The Portuguese star beat one defender and then stroked the ball into the bottom corner for the smoothest of finishes.

Al-Nassr were moving the ball around in impressive fashion to leave the visitors chasing shadows.

It was no surprise that the second goal arrived two minutes before the half hour. Sadio Mane crossed from the left and Anderson Talisca nipped in front of two defenders to nudge home from the edge of the six-yard box.

It looked as if Abha were going to take a serious beating but they were soon back in the game.

Otavio may have scored the first but was guilty of a clumsy challenge on the edge of the area and Tunisian midfielder Saad Bguir sent Nawaf Al-Aqidi the wrong way from the spot.

The home team continued to push forward after the break, but while they got in good positions on numerous occasions, either the final ball was lacking or Abha were able to get a body or a foot in the way.

Ronaldo had been waiting for a clear chance and thought he had got his goal midway through the second half, but as he turned to send Brozovic’s pass into the net, the 38-year-old had strayed offside. Soon after, he sent a free-kick into the