Will this be the week when Cristiano Ronaldo finally secures Saudi silverware?

Everything was falling into place, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr were 1-0 up against city rivals and recent nemesis Al Hilal as the clock ticked down towards the eight minutes of added time. A win for the yellow and blue side of the city in their penultimate domestic game would see Al Nassr crowned Saudi Pro League champions for the eleventh time in the club’s history with the league set to be the first major silverware for the Portuguese striker since his move to Riyadh in late 2022.

Then disaster struck as a long throw-in was misjudged by Al Nassr keeper Bento who contrived to steer the ball into his own net. A point for Al Hilal meant the title celebrations had to be put on hold in a dramatic fashion as Cristiano sat on the bench with a face of total disbelief.

However, just four days later, Al Nassr were presented with another opportunity to bag continental silverware as they faced Japan’s Gamba Osaka at the Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh last Saturday in the AFC Champions League 2 final.

Once again, the Saudi side came undone by a single goal as Deniz Hummet’s effort on the half hour mark was enough for the J1 side to secure the title as Ronaldo and his ‘Knights of Najd’ side were left empty handed once again.

End of hurt in sight?

After several episodes falling short in Saudi Super and King’s Cup finals coupled with trailing to the likes of Al Ittihad and Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, it looks that the yellow and blue side are on the cusp to lift their first league title on Thursday as they control their own destiny going into the final game of the 2025-26 season.

If Al Nassr beat Damac, they are guaranteed the championship. A win takes Al Nassr to 86 points, rendering Al Hilal’s result against Al Fayha completely irrelevant.

If Nassr draw with Damac, they finish the season on 84 points. In this case, they will still be crowned champions only if Al Hilal draws or loses against Al Fayha.

However....If Al Nassr draw and Al Hilal win, both teams finish tied on 84 points. Because the Saudi Pro League uses head-to-head results as its primary tiebreaker (and the two sides drew both of their league meetings this season), it would come down to overall goal difference. Al Nassr currently holds a +3 advantage (+60 vs. +57), but an Al Hilal victory combined with an Al Nassr draw would dynamically swing that margin, likely handing the title to Al Hilal.

Damac hasn’t managed to take a single point off Al Nassr since April 2021. What could possibly go wrong....

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