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Al Hilal vs Al Nassr score, result as Cristiano Ronaldo goal and penalty erased

Deepesh Porwal
19 Apr, 2023

Al Hilal vs Al Nassr 

Al Hilal vs Al Nassr

After a humiliating 2-0 loss to Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal on Tuesday night in a Riyadh derby match, Al Nassr's chances of winning the Saudi Pro League table for 2022–23 are rapidly dwindling.

Al Nassr, the team of Cristiano Ronaldo, had a chance to overtake Al Ittihad at the top of the standings but instead lost for the second straight game. With only six games left, they are now three points behind the leaders Al Ittihad, who also have a game in hand and might further increase their lead.

The Riyadh derby was decided by two penalties scored by Saudi Pro League's leading scorer Odion Ighalo (18 goals). Both rulings were made by English Premier League official Michael Oliver, the most recent foreign official to officiate a game in the Saudi league.

Al Hilal, who started the game in fourth place, didn't have a chance to win the championship, but they dominated the first half and rightly led 1-0 at the break after Oliver noticed a handball in the penalty area.

Ronaldo believed he had a late penalty, but a VAR assessment nullified the effort. On a discouraging night for the would-be challengers, he also scored a late goal but was adjudged to be offside on the play.

Al Hilal vs Al Nassr final score

                   Final
Al Hilal      2
Al Nassr      0

Goals:

HILAL — Odion Ighalo (penalty) — 42nd min.

HILAL — Odion Ighalo (penalty) — 62nd min.

Lineups:

Al Hilal (4-3-3): Al-Mayouf (GK) — Al Burayk (Al-Shahrani 76'), Jang, Jahfali, Abdulhamid — Carrillo (N. Aldawsari 86'), Cuellar, Al-Faraj (Kanno 86') — Marega (S. Aldawsari 86'), Ighalo, Michael.

Al Nassr (4-2-3-1): Alaqidi (GK) — Al-Ghanam, Alamri (Lajami 46'), A. Gonzalez, Konan — Luiz Gustavo (Alkhaibari 90'), Abdulmajeed (Alhassan 71') — Yahya (Masharipov 46'), Talisca, Ghareeb (Maran 86') — Ronaldo 

How did Ronaldo play?

Because his side didn't generate many opportunities for him to score, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't get many chances to shine during the game.

He briefly believed he had been awarded a penalty and had scored a goal late in the second half. Due to a lack of a handball in the first case and a tiny offside against Ronaldo in the second, both were disallowed by VAR.

After both incidents, Ronaldo was left with a wry look on his face, and as he limped off the field at the conclusion of the game, cheered by the Al Hilal fans, it appeared as though he was accepting the loss of the championship.

Why did Al Nassr lose?

The problems that beset Al Nassr under manager Rudi Garcia persisted even after the Frenchman was replaced by Dinko Jelicic, the Under-19 coach, who oversaw his first senior game against Al Hilal.

The 4-2-3-1 formation utilized under Garcia was basically unchanged: The front four were focused on attacking, while the back six and goalie were concerned with defending. But such a configuration is flawed. Al Nassr doesn't perform as a team.

And the Al Hilal forwards made a significant contribution to the buildup by returning to complete passes, advance the ball, and generally keep it moving. The four Al Nassr attackers, meanwhile, had the same goal in mind: to seize the ball and charge the defense. 

Jelicic had the opportunity to make a little tactical adjustment in the face of a formidable opponent—an Asian Champions League finalist and King Cup semifinalist—but he opted to maintain the status quo. He had the option of matching Al Hilal with a true 4-3-3 and making a sacrifice of one of the attackers to do so. Instead, he seen his squad struggle once more, this time against a better-prepared opponent in the derby who both attacked and defended as a cohesive unit.

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