Al-Nassr leave it late to snatch dramatic victory against Al-Batin

RIYADH: When the celebrations die down after an incredible late victory for Al-Nassr on Friday, even Cristiano Ronaldo will surely reflect on just how competitive and dramatic the Roshn Saudi League can be.

An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave his side a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin, a result that sent them back to the top of the table, two points clear of Al-Ittihad.

As the 90 minutes came to an end, visitors Al-Batin were leading 1-0 and seemed to be heading for an unlikely victory. Three minutes later, Abdulrahman Ghareeb equalized, Mohammed Al-Fatil put his team ahead 10 minutes after that, and then Mohammed Maran sealed the victory in the 105th minute to send a full Mrsool Park wild with delight.

If Al-Nassr go on to win their 10th league title, this game — or more specifically, the added time in this game — will be looked back on as a pivotal moment.

It was all incredibly harsh on Al-Batin, who can at least reflect on the fact they managed to keep Ronaldo quiet. The five-time Ballon D’Or winner had scored eight goals in his previous four games for title-chasing Al-Nassr, but here he cut a frustrated figure against hard-working and disciplined opponents.

Al-Batin remain seven points adrift at the bottom of the league but they have been a different team since Alen Horvat was replaced last month by fellow Croatian Zdravko Logarusic and deserved their half-time lead, which was provided by a Renzo Lopez header.

After failing to taste victory in the first 17 matches of the season, collecting just three points along the way, the players will, after recovering from Friday’s immense disappointment, no doubt feel that they can still stay up.

As fans flooded into the stadium, the