Al-Ittihad close in on Saudi Pro League title after dramatic turnaround stuns Al-Nassr

Laurent Blanc's side had seen their cushion reduced to three points following a victory for Al-Hilal earlier on Wednesday.

It looked like that would remain when they went 2-0 down within 37 minutes at Al-Awwal Park, where Sadio Mane broke the deadlock before teeing up Aiman Yahya for the second - with the goal awarded following a VAR review.

However, Karim Benzema's header and N'Golo Kante's finish from a swift counter dragged Al-Ittihad back onto level terms seven minutes after the restart.

There was to be a dramatic twist in the fourth minute of stoppage time, with Aouar completing a remarkable turnaround for the visitors by turning in a cross from Moussa Diaby, who was later dismissed for violent conduct during a post-match incident.

Al-Hilal had applied the pressure earlier on, with Salem Al Dawsari's hat-trick propelling them to a 5-3 win over Al-Raed.

Goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Al Dawsari put the hosts 2-0 to the good, though Karim El Berkaoui reduced the deficit in first-half stoppage time.

Having scored again before Malcom made it 4-1, Al Dawasari rounded off his treble following another goal from El Berkaoui, rendering Saleh Al Amri's stoppage-time penalty a mere consolation for Al-Raed.

Newly minted AFC Champions League Elite winners Ah-Ahli sit a point clear of Al-Nassr, with Ivan Toney on target during a routine 2-0 victory over Al Taawoun.

The former Brentford striker doubled the hosts' lead just after the half-hour mark, after Mohammed Sulaiman had broken the deadlock in the 10th minute.

#RoshnSaudiLeague #Alittihad_AlNassrCongratulations Tigerspic.twitter.com/ABc3Tbt5Yv

— Al-Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) May 7, 2025

The month of May has generally been kind for Al-Nassr, but they could not get back on track after their disappointing semi-final exit in the AFC Champions League last week.

Al-Nassr suffered their first defeat in 14 Saudi Pro League matches played in the month of May (won eight, drawn five), while this is only their second loss in 21 such games – the other also coming against Al Ittihad (2-1) in 2021.

Stefano Pioli's side have now lost 18 points after taking the lead in the Saudi Pro League this season, their highest total in a single campaign.