RIYADH — Al Nassr continued its impressive winning streak by defeating Al Wehda 3-1, maintaining the chase against its traditional rival, Al Hilal, who leads the league. Al Nassr held onto a 4-point difference with Al Hilal at the end of the 13th round of the Saudi Professional League. With this victory, Al Nassr reached 31 points, narrowing the point gap with the league leader, Al Hilal, to 4 points. The leader is now 9 points ahead of the third-placed Al Ahli, while there is a 5-point difference between Al Nassr and Al Ahli. Al Nassr faced little difficulty in securing three points in Makkah, taking a 2-0 lead in the first half. The first goal was scored by Brazilian Alex Telles, who executed a free-kick near the penalty area, deceiving the Moroccan goalkeeper Munir El Mohammedi of Al Wehda. Defender Abdulilah Al-Amri extended Al Nassr's lead with a second goal, rising for a cross sent by the Croatian Marcelo Brozovic in the 39th minute. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo secured the third goal early in the second half, taking advantage of a defensive error from Al Wehda. Ronaldo followed the ball and placed it in the net in the 49th minute. With this goal, Ronaldo increased his scoring tally to 13 goals, maintaining his lead in the top scorers' list with a 3-goal difference from Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović of Al Hilal. Although Talisca, returning after suspension in the previous round against Al Khaleej, scored in the 64th minute, the referee disallowed the goal after consulting the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for offside. Brazilian player Anselmo scored the first goal for the home team in the 81st minute, reducing the deficit for Al Wehda. Al Wehda stumbled again, freezing their points at 16, and they continue to occupy the ninth position in the league standings.
