Fans at the King Abdullah Stadium were treated to a goal-fest as the Saudi Pro League 2024-25 clash between Al Kholood and Al Nassr finished in a 3-3 draw on Friday.
Talisca grabbed a brace in the contest and converted a late penalty to ensure Al Nassr stole a point to stay unbeaten in the league. Aymeric Laporte was also among the goals for the Knights of Najd.
For Al Kholood, Myziane Maolida got a brace, and Jackson Muleka scored its third.
With Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the matchday squad, Sultan Al Ghannam led Al Nassr into battle. As anticipated, it dominated the early minutes of the first half, enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
However, Kholood broke the deadlock in the 12th minute against the run of play. Muleka found Maolida with an excellent low cross from the left flank, and the latter enjoyed a slice of fortune as the ball ricocheted off Ayman Yahya and trickled inside the net.
Kholood’s lead did not last long. Five minutes later, Al Nassr got back on level terms after Laporte found the net with a looping header, with the chance coming from a corner.
AS IT HAPPENED: Al Nassr vs Al Kholood highlights
Stefano Pioli’s men capitalised on the momentum and took the lead in the 24th minute through Brazilian talisman Talisca.
Kholood keeper Marcelo Grohe, who made several excellent saves throughout the contest, got a hand to Sadio Mane’s shot but could not prevent Talisca from lashing the rebound inside the net.
Kholood, widely tipped as the underdog before the clash, kept hounding and was rewarded with an equaliser of its own four minutes later. Maolida got the ball at the edge of the Nassr penalty area and rattled the bottom-right corner with a marvellous curling effort, which fizzed past a helpless Bento, who dived at full-stretch but could not get a hand to the ball.
The second-half started on a tepid note, with the battle mostly restricted to midfield.
Unlike the first-half, Kholood went toe-to-toe with Nassr in every department and took the lead for the second time in the match in the 70th minute. Second-half substitute Hammam Al Hammami delivered a low cross to Muleka after a talismanic run down the right flank. Muleka, in the right place at the right time, made no mistake in guiding the ball inside the net.
Kholood was close to bagging an unlikely three points against Al Nassr but conceded a late penalty after VAR intervention. Talisca stepped up to take it and converted his spot kick to grab his brace and steal a point for his team.
The draw keeps Al Nassr undefeated in the league. It is third in the table with 18 points from eight outings. Al Kholood climbed one spot to reach 14th place with six points from the same number of matches.
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