Cristiano Ronaldo did his best to carry Al Nassr in the Riyadh derby, but in the end, he had little help from either his teammates or the officials as Al Hilal stormed to a 3-0 victory at King Fahd International Stadium on Friday.
Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for the slimmest of offside and saw a clear penalty not given, and Al Nassr had little else in front of goal.
On the other side, Al Hilal produced a host of glorious chances, all which went begging until Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s powerful header put them in front past the hour mark. That sent Al Hilal into a lead they would not relinquish, as Aleksandar Mitrovic picked up a pair of late goals in stoppage time and nearly had a delightful third, just missing an acrobatic overhead kick.
It was not without controversy, however, and could have ended very different had a pair of decisions not gone against Al Nassr. Ronaldo first saw a goal disallowed for offside in the 73rd minute, which was confirmed by semi-automated offside technology as just the tip of his knee was over the line, a marginal but correct decision.
Then, with the game still sitting at 1-0 in the 86th minute, Ronaldo was pulverised by Yassine Bounou as the Al Hilal goalkeeper went for a punch but missed, yet no penalty was given. While the offside decision was technically correct, the Al Nassr players and coaching staff will definitely have questions about this no-call which would have, at the time, given them a chance to level the match.
Ultimately, Al Hilal vaulted well clear at the top of the table, while Mitrovic’s double pulled him closer to Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League top goal scorer race.
MORE: How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored at Al Nassr this season?
The Sporting News is following the Al Hilal vs Al Nassr match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Al Hilal vs Al Nassr final score
Score Goal scorers Al Hilal 2 Milinkovic-Savic (64′),
Mitrovic (90′, 90+3′) Al Nassr0 –
Kickoff: 9 p.m. local (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT)
Location: King Fahd International Stadium (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Starting lineups:
Al Hilal (4-2-3-1, right to left): 37. Bounou (GK) — 66. Abdulhamid, 3. Koulibaly, 5. Al-Boleahi (red card, 90′), 2. Burayk (K. Al Dawsari, 84′) — 8. Neves, 22. Milinkovic-Savic — 96. Michael (Kanno, 77′), 77. Malcolm (Jahfali, 90′), 29. Al-Dawsari (Al-Faraj, 90′) — 9. Mitrovic.
Al Nassr (4-2-3-1, right to left): 44. Alaqidi (GK) — 2. Al Ghanam, 78. Lajami (Maran, 89′), 27. Laporte, 15. Telles (Ahmed, 37′) — 6. Fofana (Ghareeb, 72′), 77. Brozovic — 94. Talisca, 25. Otavio, 10. Mane — 7. Ronaldo.
Al Hilal vs Al Nassr live updates, highlights, commentary
FULLTIME: Al Hilal 3-0 Al Nassr
The final scoreline flatters the hosts, but in the end, Al Hilal were the better side as they secure a massive three points to go seven clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League table.
The match was not without controversy, as Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty shout was the biggest moment to question, but ultimately Al Hilal had many more chances in front of goal across the 90 minutes and could have put even more away if they had been more ruthless in the first half.
Ultimately, Al Hilal’s top players showed up in force, whereas Ronaldo’s supporting cast had much less to offer. Still, Colombian official Wilmer Roldan didn’t exactly cover himself in glory, and Al Nassr coach Luis Castro will surely have plenty to say after the match.
Al Hilal vs Al Nassr: Second Half
90+9 min: Anderson Talisca is felled right at the edge of the penalty area, which results in a booking for Mohammed Jahfali. Talisca takes the free-kick but it’s punched away by Yassine Bounou and the final whistle blows!
90+7 min: Chance, Al Nassr! The visitors again have the ball in the back of the net but the flag goes up! It’s headed in off a looped cross from Cristiano Ronaldo, but replay shows that the Portuguese star is offside on the initial set-piece delivery.
90+5 min: Chance, Al Hilal! Aleksandar Mitrovic nearly has a stoppage-time hat-trick! He misses inches wide with what would have been a sensational overhead kick!
90+4 min: RED CARD, AL HILAL! This match is finishing in utter chaos as Ali Al-Boleahi has been sent off! I think it was for…a celebration? He did something in the back of the net after the goal which the referee didn’t like.
90+2 min: GOAL! AL HILAL! Aleksandar Mitrovic has another! He latches onto a long ball and clowns Aymeric Laporte, twisting the former Man City defender in a knot before slamming home the low finish!
There’s debris all over the field as Al Hilal fans celebrate!
Watch in USA:
¡CAYÓ EL TERCERO! ⚽︎ GOL de MITROVIC 🔥 y #CR7 se queda sin opciones. #SPLenFOX pic.twitter.com/tkGVtEI7O4
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) December 1, 2023
90+1 min: Ayman Ahmed is booked for pulling back Malcolm in transition. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to berate the officials for their part in this match, which has been significant.
90th min: GOAL! AL HILAL! Alexander Mitrovic scores and puts the match away! Again it comes off a corner, and he heads to the near post where Nawaf Alaqidi gets two hands to the ball but it somehow goes in anyways!
Watch in USA:
⚽︎ GOL de MITROVIC 🔥 El serbio sentencia el partido y aleja a CR7 del título #SPLenFOX pic.twitter.com/Amjttz81zQ
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) December 1, 2023
86th min: Chance, Al Nassr! There’s chaos as Cristiano Ronaldo goes flying to the ground, and Al Nassr are screaming for a penalty! He’s onside as the ball comes in from the right, and Yassine Bounou goes for the punch but misses, cleaning Ronaldo out in the process!
That should be a penalty! The referee hasn’t given it, but there will be a check! But…no! How is that not given???
77th min: The first Al Hilal change sees Michael come off, replaced by Mohamed Kanno, which will likely push Sergej Milinkovic-Savic forward.
73rd min: Chance, Al Nassr! Cristiano Ronaldo absolutely smashes the ball into the back of the net for a glorious equaliser, but he’s flagged for offside! Live it certainly looked as if he was off on the looped delivery, but the replay makes it look extremely tight! It will be checked by VAR…and it’s confirmed to be offside!
Ronaldo is furious, as he continually prevents Yassine Bounou from restarting play, waving in desperation, but that’s that!
They show the semi-automated offside, and it’s as tight as you can possibly imagine! It’s just the tip of his knee that’s off! The Al Nassr coaching staff is furious as they look at the call on someone’s phone, but it’s correct!
Al Nassr coach Luis Castro shows the ref Ronaldo’s goal from his phone to prove it was wrongly ruled out. 😂 pic.twitter.com/Juj8UJpNkH
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) December 1, 2023
70th min: Aleksandar Mitrovic is booked for backing up into Otavio, but replay shows there really wasn’t much in that as far as an elbow to the face. That’s poor from the official.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb comes on for Al Nassr, replacing Seko Fofana in midfield.
68th min: Chance, Al Nassr! Cristiano Ronaldo comes very close to an equaliser! He skids one just inches wide of the near post, having beaten the goalkeeper but beaten the woodwork as well!
64th min: GOAL! AL HILAL! In a match full of awful misses, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic finally puts Al Hilal in front! He meets a corner with ferocity, heading home into the far corner past a helpless Nawaf Alaqidi!
Milinkovic-Savic breaks the deadlock in the #RiyadhDerby 🇷🇸 💪 #yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/N2euf0c710
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 1, 2023
Watch in USA:
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) December 1, 2023
63rd min: Chance, Al Hilal! Yet another awful effort in front of goal from the hosts, as this time it’s Salem Al Dawsari who does extremely well to get free down the left and then lets himself down with a weak effort that’s easily collected by Nawaf Alaqidi.
58th min: There hasn’t been too many chances this half, but it’s not been without entertainment. Kalidou Koulibaly deftly skips around Cristiano Ronaldo, and then Ali Lajami is fouled by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, which sparks the Al Nassr players to remind the referee of his repeat offences.
50th min: Chance, Al Nassr! Anderson Talisca with an awful miss! He gets a cutback on the penalty spot with acres of space to shoot, but he rips one miles over the crossbar! It’s apparently taken a deflection on its way, as it earns a corner, but regardless, he has to score that!
Al Nassr have had most of the early attacking possession, but they’ve been cut down by the offside flag on more than one occasion.
Kickoff: The final 45 minutes is under way. The spotlight is on Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been again subjected to “Messi, Messi” chants from the Al Hilal fans as he walked into the dressing room at halftime. He couldn’t help but acknowledge them! Will he respond with his play on the pitch?
— بدر ★ (@iiiib9) December 1, 2023
HALFTIME: Al Hilal 0-0 Al Nassr
The first 20 minutes of this match were punctuated by tragic miss after tragic miss, mostly for the home side. Once the attacking intent subsided as the half-hour mark approached, the game devolved into a war of attrition. The fouls built up and the dissent began to bubble, with both sides looking to provoke the opponent.
This is spectacular theatre, if nothing else. Hopefully they can get back to playing more football after the break and less red mist, or else it will be hard to see this finishing 11 on 11. There was some excellent counter-attacking play in the first quarter of the match!
Al Hilal vs Al Nassr: First Half
45+1 min: Chance, Al Nassr! There’s a HUGE penalty shout for Al Nassr as Seko Fofana goes flying over a blatant foul by Kalidou Koulibaly. However, it’s waved away by the official as offside is the decision! The chance was created by a brilliant flick from Otavio, but the Brazilian is adjudged to have been offside as he received the ball. VAR confirms the decision! Koulibaly is a very lucky man, because that was a stonewall penalty if not for the assistant’s flag.
41st min: The first yellow card of the match is shown to Otavio for a foul on Ali Al Bulayhi, but that’s not what has the Al Hilal crowd in an uproar. Nope, that would be Cristiano Ronaldo sarcastically clapping right in Al Bulayhi’s face after the fact. He’s always an entertainer, that’s for sure!
36th min: Uh oh, Alex Telles has pulled up with a muscle injury, and it seems like his match has come to an end. He slams the turf in anger as he receives treatment, knowing that will cost him a few weeks at least. Set to enter in his place is Aymen Ahmed as Telles is carted off the pitch.
34th min: This time the referee has no choice but to blow his whistle, as Saud Abdulhamid clumsily chops Sadio Mane to the pitch out wide left. Al Nassr have another free-kick chance, this one from a very tight angle. Marcelo Brozovic fizzes a dangerous ball to the top of the six-yard box, but it’s cleared very well by the Al Hilal defenders.
29th min: Oh my, Colombian referee Wilmer Roldan’s completely whiffed on this one. A perfectly legal tackle from Salem Al Dawsari pokes the ball from Anderson Talisca, but the referee calls for the foul to give Al Nassr an excellent free-kick opportunity from about 23 yards out.
The two teams are in each others faces as Al Hilal look to sort out the wall, and the referee has to calm everyone down. Anderson Talisca (who is, notably, not Cristiano Ronaldo) blasts the free-kick over the crossbar.
22nd min: Chance, Al Nassr! Cristiano Ronaldo’s first look on goal is saved by Yassine Bounou! He charges onto a vertical feed and fires on frame, but it’s too close to the goalkeeper to present any danger.
14th min: Chance, Al Hilal! WHAT…JUST HAPPENED?! It seemed as if Al Nassr had handled an Al Hilal attack no problem, but suddenly they almost conceded the silliest goal! An Al Nassr defender passed to his own goalkeeper right on the end line, but Nawaf Alaqidi’s clearance slams off Aleksandar Mitrovic!
It deflects right to Michael, who has literally the entire goal to shoot at, but somehow he put it right back into the chest of a relieved Alaqidi who managed to recover in time to slide over and make the save! How embarrassing that would have been to concede in such a manner! Meanwhile, that’s three glorious chances Al Hilal have failed to convert!
We can’t be making these silly mistakes!pic.twitter.com/Pqk85Wx7qZ
— Al Nassr Zone (@TheNassrZone) December 1, 2023
11th min: Chance, Al Nassr! Anderson Talisca nearly scores against the run of play! As the ball looks to be running away from him vertically, he manages to poke his boot at it, attempting to chip the goalkeeper, and comes so close to doing just that, but it clips just over the crossbar!
What a lively match this has been so far!
Talisca almost did a madness 🥶 pic.twitter.com/WS8QflgPNH
— Al Nassr Zone (@TheNassrZone) December 1, 2023
9th min: Al Hilal are absolutely shredding Al Nassr on the counter. It’s been a problem for Al Nassr all season, and it’s proving extra problematic today. They cannot handle the hosts when they play in transition.
4th min: Chance, Al Hilal! HOW HAS SALEM AL DAWSARI MISSED?!?! Al Hilal have three men wide open for a point-blank shot, as the Al Nassr defence is totally out of sorts, but Al Dawsari blasts the chance miles over the crossbar! Oh dear, he has to score there, it’s an awful miss!
They should’ve scored 😱 pic.twitter.com/uMhiHuy9IS
— Al Nassr Zone (@TheNassrZone) December 1, 2023
3rd min: Chance, Al Hilal! Aleksandar Mitrovic comes so close to giving the hosts a very early lead! Al Hilal break but Marcelo Brozovic does just enough to force the ball to Mitrovic out wide. The former Fulham man cuts back in and works space by his defender one-on-one, but his tight angle shot is dragged inches wide! That’s not far!
Kickoff: The Riyadh derby is under way! It looks like King Fahd International Stadium is on fire with how many flares are lit in the crowd!
Both sets of fans have put on a show for the #RiyadhDerby 😮 #yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/KVGPhYDCmL
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 1, 2023
Al Hilal vs Al Nassr: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more
20 mins to kickoff: Those boos you hear at King Fahd International Stadium aren’t jeers at all. No, it’s the home crowd welcoming their goalkeeper to the pitch.
A warm welcome for Yassine Bono 🇲🇦👏 #yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/FJ4drjI6fG
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 1, 2023
40 mins to kickoff: Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves has been the subject of transfer rumors in the past few months. After joining the Saudi club in the summer, some clubs in desperate need of midfielders have watched his performances for Al Hilal and noticed he is still at the top of his game. Injury-stricken clubs like Barcelona have come calling, but it seems they will have to look elsewhere, according to reports.
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) November 28, 2023
1 hour to kickoff: Now the Al Nassr lineup has been submitted, and as expected, Cristiano Ronaldo has proven fit to play from the opening whistle. Seko Fofana gets the nod in midfield next to Marcelo Brozovic, chosen over Abdullah Al-Khaibari and Ali Al-Hassan despite his recent lack of playing time.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival to the derby. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/xnHXaGN7Gq
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) December 1, 2023
1 hour 15 mins to kick: The Al Hilal starting lineup is out already, and it’s as star-studded as expected. Aleksandar Mitrovic starts up front, with Michael, Malcolm, and Salem Al-Dawsari all in support, plus the midfield pivot of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves. A formidable XI!
The fans are getting ready for the #RiyadhDerby! 👍🤳#yallaRSL pic.twitter.com/LJCo0OFtlF
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) December 1, 2023
1 hour 30 mins to kick: Al Nassr today will go with its all yellow getup, the first time they’ve worn that look since last time they met Al Hilal, a 2-1 come-from-behind victory sparked by a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo.
THE LAST TIME Cristiano Ronaldo played Al Hilal he did this. 🔥pic.twitter.com/p7smfUW2gM
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) December 1, 2023
1 hour 45 mins to kick: Cristiano Ronaldo was withdrawn after 78 minutes against Persepolis midweek after a neck injury forced him off, but word is he’ll be fit to play today.
“The medical team is studying the injury and will do everything to make sure he is ready for the next game,” said manager Luis Castro after the match.
2 hours to kickoff: This game features the two most in-form goalscorers in Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the league in scoring with 15 goals through 12 games, but Aleksandar Mitrovic is second with 10 goals in one less match played.
Mitrovic has helped Al Nassr overcome the demoralising injury to Neymar, which could have destroyed the team’s season before it really even began. A video has surfaced of Mitrovic calling Ronaldo “the best player ever” but that hasn’t stopped him from competing against the Portuguese star to the end.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (When he was at Fulham):
“Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player ever, so I’ll try to get his shirt.”
pic.twitter.com/GQomqPmb0V
— Al Nassr Zone (@TheNassrZone) November 30, 2023
Al Hilal vs Al Nassr lineups, team news
Al Hilal have a host of injuries to work around, most notably the devastating ACL tear suffered by expensive star signing Neymar a month ago.
Top Saudi internationals Mohammed Al Owais and Salem Al-Dawsari are also carrying injuries, but the former has backed up World Cup hero Yassine Bounou this season anyways, while the latter started in the midweek AFC Champions League game and could be rotated out for Michael as he continues to recover.
Malcom and Aleksandar Mitrovic both came off the bench in that midweek win over Namangan, but should both come back into the starting lineup for league play.
Al Hilal starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Bounou (GK) — Abdulhamid, Koulibaly, Al-Boleahi, Burayk — Neves, Milinkovic-Savic — S. Al Dawsari, Malcolm, Michael— Mitrovic.
Al Hilal subs (9): Al Wutaian (GK), K. Al Dawsari, Jahfali, Al-Faraj, Al-Juwayr, Kanno, Al-Malki, Al-Hamdan, Al-Shehri.
Luis Castro has not flagged up any fresh injury concerns after Al Nassr’s 0-0 AFC Champions League draw at home to Persepolis. Ali Lajami faces an incoming ban for that competition thanks to his red card, but he is available for league action, and Abdullah Al-Khaibari could earn a recall.
Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted off in the draw with Persepolis after suffering a neck injury, but he’s likely to be available today. The same goes for Aymeric Laporte who is carrying a foot injury but is expected to be ready for action.
Al Nassr starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Alaqidi (GK) — Al Ghanam, Lajami, Laporte, Telles — Fofana, Brozovic — Talisca, Otavio, Mane — Ronaldo.
Al Nassr subs (9): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
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