"Al-Nassr knew a victory against their closest rivals would give them an unassailable eight-point lead and secure their first title in the Cristiano Ronaldo era. But, given an Al-Hilal win would move them within two points of the summit with a game in hand, it was all to play for, and Bento's calamitous error from the final action of the game kept the visitors' slim title hopes alive."
"Al-Hilal had a glorious chance to go ahead within four minutes, but Karim Benzema placed his effort too close to Bento, with that miss causing visiting boss Simone Inzaghi to drop to his knees on the touchline. Benzema was not wayward when picked out by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's cross 15 minutes later, but his downward header was disallowed due to the Serbian drifting offside."
"And it was Al-Nassr who got the breakthrough eight minutes before half-time. After Marcelo Brozovic's corner prompted a scramble, Mohamed Simakan placed a well-struck volley into the bottom-left corner. Kingsley Coman should have made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time but rattled the post with only Yassine Bounou to beat, while Ronaldo passed up his best chance of the game almost immediately after the interval."
"And after Al-Nassr withdrew Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had to watch on from the bench as his team capitulated. A long throw was launched into the hosts' area, and as Bento came out to claim it with no Al-Hilal players in the vicinity, he collided with his team-mate Inigo Martinez and saw the ball spin into the net."
Al-Nassr needed a win over Al-Hilal to secure an unassailable eight-point lead and their first Saudi Pro League title in the Cristiano Ronaldo era. Al-Hilal entered the match with motivation because a win would move them within two points of the summit with a game in hand. Al-Hilal created early chances, including a miss by Karim Benzema and a disallowed header after Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s cross. Al-Nassr took the lead before halftime through Mohamed Simakan’s volley from a Marcelo Brozovic corner. Al-Hilal pressed after the interval, and after Ronaldo was withdrawn, Bento collided with Inigo Martinez and turned the ball into his own net, forcing a 1-1 draw.
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