Al-Nassr's Title Party Delayed by Injury-Time Own Goal

The stage was set for a coronation in Riyadh. Instead, Al-Nassr walked away stunned, their title party ripped up in the final seconds by the most cruel of twists – their own goalkeeper.

Leading 1-0 deep into stoppage time against fierce rivals Al Hilal on Tuesday, Al-Nassr were seconds from sealing their first Saudi Pro League crown in seven years and the first domestic title of Cristiano Ronaldo’s spell at the club. The stands had already turned into a swirling sea of yellow, fans handed free shirts before kick-off in expectation, not hope.

Then came the moment that silenced it all.

An overhead effort arced towards goal, routine enough for a keeper of Bento’s stature. He rose to claim it, misjudged the flight, and fumbled the ball into his own net. An injury-time own goal. A title delayed. A stadium stunned.

Al-Nassr’s players dropped to their knees. On the bench, Ronaldo could only stare, his frustration etched across his face as the reality of what had just slipped away sank in. The 41-year-old, who joined the club in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United post-World Cup, is still chasing that first domestic honour in Saudi Arabia.

Title on hold, not lost

The draw keeps Al-Nassr at the top of the table on 83 points from 33 games. Al Hilal, already crowned champions in 2024 and now trying to chase them down again, sit second on 78 points with a game in hand at 32 matches played.

Victory would have wrapped up an 11th league title for Al-Nassr and ended a drought stretching back to 2019. Instead, the champagne remains on ice, the celebrations postponed by a single, agonising mistake.

Yet the dream has not gone. Far from it.

Al-Nassr still hold the advantage and, barring a shock collapse against 15th-place Damac in their final league fixture on May 21, they remain strong favourites to finally get over the line. One game, one result, one more chance to finish the job.

Ronaldo, who has carried the club’s global profile on his shoulders and still commands an audience of more than 770 million followers on social media, kept the message simple after the drama.

“The dream is close,” he wrote.

Close enough to touch on Tuesday night. Now they must reach for it again, knowing how brutally this league can snatch it away.