Al Nassr thought they had thrown away a two-goal lead as Al Akhdoud fought back from 2-0 down to level the game but Marcelo Brozovic scored late in added time to secure victory for Cristiano Ronaldo's side.
Brozovic had originally given his side the lead, for his first Saudi Pro League goal in 2024. He did so in style after Alex Telles' cross from the left was woefully cleared and the ball only made it to the edge of the 18-yard box. Brozovic was then teed up by Ali Al-Hassan and the Croatian took a touch before setting his sights for the far corner and he picked it out beautifully.
Al-Hassan was then involved once more as this time he picked the pocket of Al Mansour, Al Akhdoud's left back, and drilled a cross at Ronaldo who knew nothing about it. But in true striker's fashion, the Portuguese forward was in the right place at the right time as it rebounded off his shin into the back of the net. From his 891 career goals, that might just have been the easiest of them all.
Al Akhdoud vs Al Nassr final score
| FT | Goalscorers | |
| Al Akhdoud | 2 | Al-Habib 60', Godwin 70' |
| Al Nassr | 3 | Brozovic 7', 90+1' Ronaldo 15' |
Despite falling two behind, Al Akhdoud showed enormous character in the second half and battled their way back into the game. Hassan Al-Habib scored on the hour mark to half the deficit and he did so in a similar fashion to Brozovic as he was just outside the box when he curled an effort into the bottom right corner.
Al Akhdoud then began to dominate possession and grew in confidence, peppering Al Nassr's goal with shots. They were rewarded for their efforts when Saviour Godwin equalised 10 minutes after Al-Habib's strike. Aymeric Laporte failed to clear his lines and Godwin pounced before getting the better of David Ospina.
But Al Nassr regained composure and secured the victory in injury time thanks to Brozovic, who bagged his brace and sealed the three points.
MORE: Saudi Pro League top scorers this season
Saudi Pro League Top Scorers Table 2023/24
The Sporting News will be updating the table below during every matchday of the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League season through to the final round of matches on May 27, 2024.
Updated May 9, 2024.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals (PKs) | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr | 32 (8) | 10 | 27 |
| 2. | Aleksandar Mitrovic | Al Hilal | 24 (9) | 5 | 24 |
| 3. | Abderrazak Hamdallah | Al Ittihad | 19 (5) | 3 | 24 |
| 4. | Fashion Sakala | Al-Fayha | 17 (1) | 6 | 29 |
| 5. | Anderson Talisca | Al Nassr | 16 (1) | 4 | 17 |
Al Nassr vs Al Akhdoud lineups, team news
Al Nassr head coach Luis Castro could stick with an unchanged line up after Ronaldo netted a hat-trick in their 6-0 win at home to Al Wehda.
Al Nassr predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Ospina (GK) — Al-Ghannam, Alawjami, Laporte, Telles — Al-Khaibari, Brozovic, Yahya — Otavio, Ronaldo, Mane.
Al Nassr subs subs (9): TBC
Al Akhdoud are battling against relegation this season with Real Betis loanee Alex Collado the standout name in their squad.
Al Akhdoud predicted XI (4-5-1, right to left): Vitor (GK) — Khamis, Kvirkvelia, Alyami, Al Mansour — Al Zubaidi, Pedroza, Al-Habib, Collado, Godwin — Tawamba.
Al Akhdoud subs (9): TBC
Al Nassr vs Al Akhdoud live stream, TV channel
Here's where you can find the match in some selected major markets:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Fox Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes | Fubo, Fox Sports app/website |
| Australia | — | — |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | DAZN 1 | DAZN |
| India | — | — |