Cristiano Ronaldo was seconds away from winning a new league title, his first league title in Saudi Arabia since joining in 2023... but a historic fumble by goalkeeper Bento prevented that from happening. It happened during the Al-Nassr vs. Al-Hilal match on Tuesday, the Jeddah derby: if Al-Nassr won, they would claim the league title. However, a victory for Al-Hilal would have turned the tides and put the team (featuring Ronaldo's former teammate Karim Benzema) in the pole position for the league title.
Mohamed Simakan scored for Al-Nassr in the 37th minute, putting them ahead. And when players and fans were eagerly waiting for the final whistle, the last ball of the game, fifteen seconds before the end of the match, at the 97th minute, escaped from the Brazilian goalkeeper's fingers and entered the goal, the match ending 1-1.
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The 1-1 result still suits Al-Nassr much better than Al-Hilal: they have 83 points with one match remaining, against Damac on May 21, so they can end the league with a maximum of 86 points, after conceding only 2 draws and 4 defeats in the season. Al-Hilal has 78 points with two matchdays remaining, so the maximum points they can get are 84 points in the matches against Neom on May 16, and Al Fayha on May 21.
Al-Hilal is forced to win both matches and hope that Al-Nassr doesn't win their final match. However, a draw would not suit Al-Nassr, because if they finish with the same points (84), the title would go to Al-Hilal (who beat Al-Nassr in January 2026 3-1), as the head-to-head is the first tie-breaker in the Saudi Pro League...
Al-Nassr last won the league title came in 2019, while Al Hilal won the league in 2024. Who do you think will win in 2026?