Felix Hat-Trick and Ronaldo Milestone Keep Al-Nassr on Title Course

Al-Nassr moved closer to their first league title since 2019 after securing a tense 4-2 victory away to Al-Shabab on Thursday in a match that also saw Cristiano Ronaldo reach 100 Saudi Pro League goals.

Portuguese forward Joao Felix stole the spotlight with a hat-trick as Al-Nassr bounced back from Sunday’s damaging 3-1 defeat to Al-Qadsiah, a result that had cut their advantage at the top of the table to only two points over rivals Al-Hilal.

Al-Nassr made a blistering start and were two goals ahead within 10 minutes. Felix opened the scoring in the third minute after a defensive error allowed him to finish calmly past veteran goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe.

The second goal arrived seven minutes later when Abdulrahman Ghareeb delivered a curling cross toward the back post, where Felix headed home to double the lead.

Ronaldo believed he had added a third shortly afterward, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Ghareeb then forced a strong save from Grohe as Al-Nassr threatened to overwhelm the hosts early on.

However, Al-Shabab gradually fought their way back into the match after Al-Nassr dropped deeper to protect their advantage. Hammam Al-Hammami struck the post in the 23rd minute before Yannick Carrasco pulled a goal back on the half-hour mark. Carrasco dispossessed Abdullah Al-Khaibari and drove into the penalty area before firing past goalkeeper Bento Matheus Krepski.

The home side continued to push after halftime, with Carrasco and Ali Al-Azaizeh both going close to equalising.

Despite the pressure, Al-Nassr regained control in the 75th minute. Felix released Sadio Mane down the flank and the winger delivered a low cross for Ronaldo, who tapped in his 100th league goal in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Shabab refused to give up and quickly responded through Ali Al-Bulayhi, who converted from close range to make it 3-2.

Felix completed his hat-trick deep into stoppage time after a VAR review awarded Al-Nassr a penalty following a collision involving Grohe and substitute Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

The victory leaves Al-Nassr on 82 points, five ahead of Al-Hilal, who still have a game in hand. Attention now turns to the upcoming Riyadh derby on May 12, a match that could decide the Saudi Pro League title race.