Al Nassr continued its shaky form this season after it was held to a 1-1 draw by Al Taawoun in their Saudi Pro League 2024-25 clash at the Al Awwal Park on Friday.
Otavio scored for Al Nassr while Roger Martinez bagged the equaliser for visiting Taawoun.
Al Nassr was notably missing the presence of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, who was reportedly out with illness. He also missed Al Nassr’s 9-0 win against Al Akhdoud earlier this week.
After coming off the biggest win in the club’s history, Al Nassr had a poor first-half showing and failed to create any clear-cut chances. Despite having almost 70 per cent of the possession, the home side ended the first half with zero shots on target.
Stefano Pioli’s side was much improved in the second half and found the opener six minutes in. Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem played in a lovely cross from the right side of the box, and Portuguese midfielder Otavio met it first in the air to direct it into the back of the net. It was Otavio’s first league goal of the season.
As the game progressed, Al Nassr had the chance to extend its lead, but both Jhon Duran and Sadio Mane sent their shots directly at the opposition goalkeeper in a span of two minutes.
The missed chances came to haunt it in the end as Al Taawoun found the equaliser in the 70th minute. Roger Martinez received the ball inside the box and smashed it into the bottom left corner.
The result leaves Al Nassr fourth in the table with 64 points from 32 games, 13 points behind champion Al Ittihad. Al Taawoun is eighth with 42 points.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com