Riyadh: The cheers rang around King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on Tuesday night and surely there must have been similar celebrations over in Jeddah.

Al-Hilal had just defeated Al-Nassr 2-0 in a contentious Riyadh Derby, thanks to two penalties from Odion Ighalo, but perhaps the real victors were Al-Ittihad, who remain three points clear of second-place Al-Nassr at the top of the Roshn Saudi League and now have a game in hand.

Al-Nassr have only six matches remaining and so the loss was a huge blow to their hopes of winning title number 10 and even Cristiano Ronaldo might not be able to do anything about it. He gave everything on the night but cut a forlorn figure as he walked down the tunnel after the final whistle, waved gleefully on his way by thousands of delighted Al-Hilal fans. The victory was well deserved as Al-Hilal were the better team for much of the game, though the visitors will point to the intervention of the video assistant referee in denying them twice in the second half: First by ruling a Ronaldo goal offside on what looked like a very tight call indeed, and then with a penalty decision. The result means that Al-Hilal remain in fourth place in the league, seven points behind Al-Ittihad having played two games more. The defending champions are effectively out of the running for top spot after some indifferent form of late but they certainly enjoyed this game and denting the chances of their rivals.

The victory will also stand Ramon Diaz’s men in good stead for next week’s King’s Cup semi-final against Al-Ittihad, and the AFC Champions League final first leg against Japan’s Urawa Reds on April 29. Al-Nassr, playing their first game since the departure of Rudi Garcia as head coach, struggled to find top gear. Ronaldo did his best to get his team-mates going but this was not to be his, or their, night. The Blues will wonder how they failed take the lead midway through the first half. Moussa Marega should have done better with his header from close range, even if Nawaf Al-Aqidi did make a diving save. He could only parry it to Ighalo, though, and the Nigerian had the entire goal to aim for but, somehow, he put the ball wide from inside the six-yard area.

Five minutes before the break, English referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot after Ighalo's spectacular overhead kick from inside the area hit the arm of Abdulelah Al-Amri. Ronaldo took a moment to talk tactics to Al-Aqidi but it didn’t do much good as the goalkeeper was sent the wrong way by the striker for his 17th goal of the season. Early in the second half, Marega was denied by the legs of Al-Aqidi, though the ball almost squirmed through into the goal. Al-Nassr then started to show a little more going forward, and Anderson Talisca’s low drive from the right corner of the area was well-saved by Abdullah Al-Mayouf. On the hour, Oliver gave the hosts a second penalty. Michael Delgado cut into the area from the left and was brought down by Jaloliddin Masharipov. Once again it was confirmed by VAR and, once again, Ighalo sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. It looked as if the game was won. Al-Nassr could not build any momentum and began to grow increasingly frustrated. Talisca was lucky to escape with a yellow card midway through the half for a stamp on a prone Mohammed Jahfali.

Ronaldo seemed to have pulled a goal back with a fierce shot from inside the area but then came a video check which ruled he had been offside. It looked as though the five-time Ballon D’or winner had done enough to score his 12th of the season so far but VAR, perhaps surprisingly, decided otherwise.

That seemed to be that but suddenly it was Al-Nassr’s turn to contest a penalty decision after a Ronaldo free-kick hit the back of Ighalo and then the arm of Marega. Once again, the referee checked the monitor and changed his initial decision after seeing there was nothing the Malian could have done to avoid the ball.

Ronaldo’s rueful smile summed up Al-Nassr’s night. Had the spot kick been given, and converted, there would have been plenty of time to push for an equalizer as an incredible 15 minutes of injury time was added.

The title race is not yet over but Al-Ittihad are very much in the driving seat — and this particular Riyadh derby is likely to be remembered for a long time in Jeddah.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 20 2023

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