Al-Nassr survive Al-Shabab fightback to maintain SPL lead over Al-Hilal ahead of Capital Derby

RIYADH: Al-Nassr’s march toward their first Saudi Pro League title since 2019 continued on Thursday with a hard-fought 4-2 away victory over Al-Shabab.

Joao Felix was the hero of the game with a hat-trick, but Cristiano Ronaldo also had a big night as he reached the milestone of 100 goals in the Saudi Pro League.

It was a much-needed victory for Al-Nassr, who were left reeling by a 3-1 defeat by Al-Qadsiah on Sunday that reduced their lead over second-place Al-Hilal to just two points.

The night began with a Felix masterclass, as the Portuguese forward had two goals to his name inside the opening 10 minutes.

The first came in the third minute when a Sadio Mane cross was poorly dealt with by the defense, allowing Felix to take advantage and finish clinically past Marcelo Grohe.

Seven minutes later, a curling cross from Abdulrahman Ghareeb toward the far post found Felix and he headed home his second.

Ronaldo thought he had added to Al-Nassr’s tally moments later but his effort was ruled out for offside. Then, in the 16th minute, Ghareeb was sent through on goal only for Grohe to produce a strong save.

Soon after, the pressure from Al-Nassr began to ease as they sat deeper in an attempt to protect their lead. This would backfire somewhat, as it allowed Al-Shabab to grow into the match.

The first warning sign came when Hammam Al-Hammami gave Al-Nassr a scare as he hit the post in the 23rd minute.

Yannick Carrasco eventually managed to capitalize on the shifting momentum on the half-hour mark. Abdullah Al-Khaibari lost possession under pressure from the Belgian winger, who drove past Abdulelah Al-Amri before putting the ball past Bento to pull one back.

The pressure from the home side continued into second half,