Al Nassr stopped a three-match losing run in the Saudi Pro League with a tense 3-2 win over 10-man Al Shabab at Al-Awwal Park. Abdulrahman Ghareeb hit
a late winner, after the visitors fought back from 2-0 down, and Al Nassr climbed back to second place.
The hosts raced into a strong position when Saad Yaslam turned Joao Felix’s low cross into an early own goal, before Kingsley Coman struck an overhead kick. Mohamed Simakan then scored at the wrong end, Carlos Junior levelled, Vincent Sierro saw red, and Ghareeb finally decided the contest.
Only two minutes had passed when Yaslam diverted Felix’s driven ball past the Al Shabab goalkeeper. Coman increased the advantage six minutes later with an acrobatic bicycle effort. The match shifted on 31 minutes, as Simakan slid Hamman Al Hammami’s low cross beyond the Al Nassr goalkeeper to give the visitors hope.
Al Shabab completed their recovery on 53 minutes. Yannick Carrasco split the defence with a precise through ball, and Carlos Junior applied a composed finish. The turning point followed midway through the second half when Sierro received a second yellow card. Al Nassr then used the spare player well, pinning Al Shabab deep.
Mission accomplishedpic.twitter.com/fzKzXenu6KAlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) January 17, 2026
Ghareeb finally settled matters after Coman’s shot was saved, squeezing the rebound home against the tiring 10 players. Data backed Al-Nassr’s superiority. They generated 1.5 expected goals from 14 attempts, compared with Al Shabab’s 0.61 xG from seven shots, reflecting pressure across most phases.
Key match statistics from Al Nassr against Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League are shown below.
| Team | Goals | Shots | Expected Goals (xG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Nassr | 3 | 14 | 1.5 |
| Al Shabab | 2 | 7 | 0.61 |
The victory also extended a long positive sequence for Al Nassr against Al Shabab. Al Nassr have equalled their longest unbeaten run in this fixture, matching an eight-game Pro League sequence without defeat recorded between 2016 and 2020. Al Shabab’s threat mainly came from Carrasco, who now has seven goals and three assists in the league.
The result had clear implications near the top of the Saudi Pro League table. The hosts moved back into second place on goal difference ahead of Al Ahli. Matthias Jaissle’s Al Ahli had earlier claimed a fifth straight league win, beating Al Kholood 1-0 at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium through Ivan Toney’s 11th goal of the season.
The outcome leaves Al Nassr back on track in the Saudi Pro League after a difficult spell, while Al Shabab’s fightback and Carrasco’s influence underlined their attacking quality. With both clubs still within reach of key targets, every point now carries greater weight in the coming weeks.
