The first team of Al-Nassr FC, nicknamed "Al-Aalami" (The Global), continues to write new chapters of footballing glory, achieving an unprecedented historical milestone in its journey within the Saudi Professional League. The team secured its fifteenth consecutive victory after a hard-fought and well-deserved 1-0 win against its guest, Al-Ettifaq FC, in a thrilling match held at Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh, as part of the twenty-ninth round of the tournament.
The nickname "Al-Aalami" (The Global One), so proudly chanted by Al-Nassr fans, stems from the historic achievement of the team becoming the first Asian club to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2000 in Brazil. Today, the current generation, led by Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo and a host of other stars, is reviving those glories, further solidifying the club's position not only domestically but also regionally and internationally. This string of consecutive victories reflects significant technical and administrative stability and sends a powerful message to all rivals about the team's unbridled ambition to win every possible title this season, amidst growing global interest in the Saudi League.
Returning to the match itself, the home side dominated from the outset, while Al-Ettifaq relied on a solid defensive organization and swift counter-attacks. Senegalese star Sadio Mane nearly opened the scoring for Al-Nassr after going one-on-one with goalkeeper Rodak and skillfully chipping the ball over him, but defender Jack Hendry made a crucial intervention to clear the danger. Al-Ettifaq didn't sit back, responding with a powerful shot from striker Moussa Dembélé that went just wide of the post. Dembélé then had another golden opportunity after a precise pass from Khalid Al-Ghannam, finding himself one-on-one with the outstanding goalkeeper Pinto, but his shot also went narrowly wide.
In the 31st minute, Al-Nassr's pressure paid off with the only goal of the match. The attack began with a powerful shot from Cristiano Ronaldo, which was saved by goalkeeper Rodak. The ball rebounded to Kingsley Coman, who skillfully rounded the goalkeeper and confidently slotted it into the net.
As the second half began, Al-Ettifaq increased the tempo of their play in search of an equalizer, and nearly achieved their goal were it not for the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Pinto, who made a superb save from Wijnaldum's header before denying Dembele's clever backheel attempt. Another dangerous opportunity fell to João Félix, but his shot went just wide of the post. In the dying moments of stoppage time, Al-Ettifaq's woes deepened when defender Jack Hendry was shown a straight red card.
With this result, Al-Nassr raises its points tally to 76, securing its 25th victory and further cementing its lead at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Al-Ettifaq suffered its 11th defeat, remaining stuck on 42 points in seventh place. This remarkable momentum witnessed in the Roshan League, with its constellation of stars, confirms the success of the Saudi sports project in attracting global attention.
