Al-Nassr crowned champions of Saudi Women’s Premier League with big win over Al-Taraji

RIYADH: Al-Nassr celebrated winning the 2024-25 Saudi Women’s Premier League title on Wednesday night after a thumping 6-0 win over Al-Taraji in their final match of the season in Riyadh.

Al-Nassr had secured the title several weeks ago and finished the season with a total of 51 points from 17 wins and only one loss.

Al-Nassr got off to a perfect start when Maria Eduardo (Duda) scored in the first minute, one of three goals she bagged in the game. Her second came one minute before the break, and she completed her hattrick after 64 minutes.

It was not the only treble of the night as Carla Luvanga repeated the feat for Al-Nassr, bringing her total for the season to 21 and making her the league’s top scorer.

The Tanzanian star opened her account after six minutes and followed up with strikes in the 17th and 36th minutes, as Al-Nassr ended the first half with a five-goal lead.

There were several other notable moments, with one yellow card issued for Al-Nassr and two for Al-Taraji, and eight and 15 fouls respectively.

Following the win, Al-Nassr’s goalkeeper Sarah Khalid told Arab News: “We prepared very well for this game, but we also wanted to enjoy every moment of it.

“It’s the last game of the season, we’re champions.”

Khalid added: “It was a good game for us ... we gave it our all, we wanted to score more obviously but at the same time, the coach decided to play as many players as possible and this is also amazing.”

The key to the championship was taking one game at a time. “Working hard towards a specific objective and lifting each other up through hardships and adversity is what makes this team very special.”

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Nassr’s head coach, Abdulaziz Al-Alwni, said: “What happened today was not