Al Nassr Fall Further Behind in Title Race After Losing 1-3 Against Relegation-Fighting Al Raed
After dropping points in their draw against Al Hazem last time, Al Nassr fell further behind in the title race with a loss against Al Raed, who are fighting for safety from relegation.
Al Nassr’s loss of form has been evident in their last few matches. The Saudi Pro League giants lost the first leg of their AFC Champions League tie against Al Ain (UAE) by a solitary goal. Before that, they only managed a point against Al Hazem in a 4-4 draw. They are now nine points behind league leaders Al Hilal, who have yet to lose a match this season and have recorded only two draws.
The returning David Ospina miscalculated and rushed to thwart Julio Tavares’s attempt, only for the attacker to evade him and pass to Karim El Barkaoui, who slotted into an unguarded net in the 18th minute. A swift response from Al Nassr saw Ayman Yahya pounce on a Cristiano Ronaldo half-volley that hit the woodwork and made it 1-1 in the 24th minute.
The rest of the first half was largely uneventful, and once the teams came back from halftime, Al Raed only needed a minute to restore their lead through Mohammed Fouzair. In the 87th minute, the visitors sealed their victory, with Amir Sayoud scoring the goal. With this win, Al Raed is now 13th with 23 points, two points clear of the relegation zone.
