Al-Nassr put four past Al-Riyadh at the Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Stadium on Thursday evening, moving further clear in the Pro-League's second round. The visitors dominated from the opening exchanges and never looked back, while their hosts struggled to find any foothold in proceedings.
And here's the thing about the first goal — it came in the eighteenth minute through A. Al Amri, who gave his side a modest lead before the game proper began. Al-Riyadh players celebrated, but the momentum was already shifting. Angelo would soon provide the reminder that this fixture was destined for a different outcome.
By half-time the scoreline read 3-0 to Al-Nassr, with Angelo striking twice in the closing moments of the first period. The first came in the forty-fifth minute, and a minute later he added his second. Al-Riyadh had barely threatened, and their goalkeeper made just one save all evening. To be fair, they created only a single big chance throughout the entire match.
Joao Felix pulled the fourth goal back in the fifty-eighth minute, adding a touch of class to a performance that had already been decisive. He was substituted in the eighty-fifth minute, having done enough to justify his place on the pitch. Al-Riyadh manager made three changes in the seventy-fifth minute, bringing on A. Al Amri, S. Mane and A. Al Khaibari, but the damage was done.
C. Ronaldo added a fifth goal in the eighty-third minute, though the scoreline already told the full story. His strike came after a series of substitutions from both sides — Al-Riyadh brought on H. Majrashi and L. Antunes in the eighty-third minute, while Al-Nassr had already made their changes earlier. The visitors finished with a comfortable margin that reflected their superiority.
The statistics painted a clear picture of one-sided football. Al-Nassr enjoyed 57 per cent possession compared to their hosts' 43, and created five big chances against just one. Their expected goals figure of 2.02 matched the four they scored, while Al-Riyadh's 0.59 xG yielded nothing. Shots accuracy was 29 per cent for the visitors versus 9 per cent for the home side.
The result leaves Al-Riyadh in twelfth place with four points from five games, while Al-Nassr sit second with 12 points from four matches. The visitors have won all four of their league fixtures and are building momentum at the right time of season. Al-Riyadh's recent form — a win, a loss, a draw and two more results — offers little comfort after this afternoon's defeat.