Sultan Al Ghannam’s injury-time strike sealed a dramatic 3-2 win for Al-Nassr over Damac on Tuesday, keeping them just ahead of a fast-closing Al-Ahli in the race for the Saudi Pro League’s top three.
2024/2025 Saudi Professional League
2-3
Match Report
Despite coming into the match as clear favourites, Al-Nassr were caught cold early on as Ramzi Solan fired the hosts ahead in the 18th minute.
Former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte quickly equalised though, turning in from a corner in the 25th minute.
Al-Nassr pushed for a second, with Jhon Duran heavily involved in attack, though the Colombian struggled to convert his chances or truly trouble goalkeeper Florin Nita.
The breakthrough finally came in the 70th minute when substitute Otavio set up Ali Al Hassan, who rifled a stunning shot into the top corner. But the lead didn’t last long as Damac responded through Nicolae Stanciu, who cut in from the right and fired a lovely effort into the top corner from the edge of the area.
Al-Nassr probed hard for a winner in the latter stages and were rewarded for their persistence with an unlikely goal from right-back Al Ghannam, who scrambled the ball over the line from very close range in the 94th minute to seal the win.
Damac stay in 11th place in the standings while Al-Nassr move up to third place with 60 points, two behind second-placed Al-Hilal.
|| Full time @AlNassrFC 3:2 #Damac pic.twitter.com/AOQOZCSEev
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) April 22, 2025
Al-Ahli, however, continue to breathe down their necks after a dramatic 3-2 win of their own against Al-Wehda.
Roger Ibanez opened the scoring in the sixth minute, reacting quickly after Riyad Mahrez’s corner kick found Ivan Toney’s head. The Englishman was denied by the post, though Ibanez was there to swiftly capitalise on a rebound.
Gabri Veiga set Toney up again shortly after, though the striker failed to find the target. Al-Ahli’s dominance continued after the break as Mahrez provided once again from a corner for Wenderson Galeno, who doubled their advantage just before the hour mark.
A tense finish awaited though, as Abdullah Al Hafith pulled one back in the 81st minute for Al-Wehda, though Mahrez added to his assist with a goal, sliding the ball into the net from just outside the six-yard box.
Ala’a Al Hajji’s lovely response in stoppage-time wasn’t enough to spark an Al-Wehda comeback as Al-Ahli held firm to take all three points, putting them within touching distance of Al-Nassr.
Perfection pic.twitter.com/OjXe6oJN98
— Al-Ahli Saudi Club (@ALAHLI_FCEN) April 22, 2025
Data debrief: Fine margins for Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli
Al-Nassr may have left Damac with three goals and three points, but the numbers suggest it wasn’t as convincing as the scoreline implies. Despite their 3-2 win, Al-Nassr posted a modest expected goals (xG) value of just 1.08, indicating a clinical edge rather than sustained attacking dominance.
They registered 12 shots, four on target—almost identical to Damac’s 13 shots and four on target, though the hosts edged them out with a superior xG of 1.44.
Elsewhere, Al-Ahli were more efficient in their 3-2 win over Al-Wehda, generating a strong xG of 2.48. Much of their attacking threat came through Mahrez, who delivered another influential display.
The former Manchester City forward led his side with two shots (one on target), while managing six touches in Al-Wehda’s box and five final third entries.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
15' Highlight from Damac vs Al Nassr FC
18' GOAL! Damac 1-0 Al Nassr FC (Ramzi Solan)
25' GOAL! Damac 1-1 Al Nassr FC (Aymeric Laporte)
31' Match Event for Damac vs Al Nassr FC
35' Match Event for Damac vs Al Nassr FC
42' Highlight from Damac vs Al Nassr FC
48' Highlight from Damac vs Al Nassr FC
51' Highlight from Damac vs Al Nassr FC
60' Highlight from Damac vs Al Nassr FC
61' Match Event for Damac vs Al Nassr FC
70' GOAL! Damac 1-2 Al Nassr FC (Ali Al-Hassan)
73' GOAL! Damac 2-2 Al Nassr FC (Nicolae Stanciu)
79' Highlight from Damac vs Al Nassr FC
94' GOAL! Damac 2-3 Al Nassr FC (Sultan Al-Ghannam)
Line-ups
Damac XI: Florin Niță, Nicolae Stanciu, Farouk Chafaï, Abdulrahman Al-Obaid, G.K Nkoudou, Abdelkader Bedrane, Tariq Abdullah, Ramzi Solan, Dhari Al-Anazi, Meshari Al Nemer, Faisal Al-Subiani
Subs: Tarek Hamed, Amin Al-Bukhari, Hassan Abu Shrarh, Abdullah Al-Mogren, Hazzaa Al-Ghamdi, Sanousi Al-Hawsawi, Noor Al-Rashidi, Mohammed Al-Khaibari, Ayman Fallatah
Al Nassr FC XI: Brozovic, Laporte, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Abdullah Alkhaibari, Mohamed Simakan, Jhon Durán, Bento, Ayman Yahya, Ângelo, Salem Al Najdi, Wesley
Subs: Mohammed Al-Fatil, Otávio, Abdulmajeed Al-Sulayhim, Ali Lajami, Raghed Al-Najjar, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Ali Al-Hassan, Nawaf Al-Boushal, Mohammed Marran