Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Milinkovic-Savic leveller keeps champions unbeaten

By Sports Desk November 01, 2024

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic preserved Al-Hilal's unbeaten start to the Saudi Pro League season as his header earned the defending champions a 1-1 draw against Al-Nassr on Friday. 

Al-Hilal dropped their first points of the season having won their first eight games, but remained at the summit of the standings, moving one point clear of Al-Ittihad. 

Al-Nassr found themselves in front inside two minutes when Otavio's clipped ball found Talisca, who took a touch before firing the ball beyond Yassine Bounou. 

The first half saw clear-cut chances hard to come by, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Talisca and Mohamed Simakan seeing their efforts unable to trouble visiting goalkeeper Bounou. 

Al-Hilal, who had scored 23 goals in their first eight games, came closest to an equaliser after the break when Salem Al Dawsari struck the woodwork. 

But the leveller came in the 77th minute when a free-flowing move ended with Milinkovic-Savic heading the ball in off the post after being picked out by Renan Lodi's cross. 

Both sides looked to find a winner in the closing stages, with Ali Lajami coming the closest for Al-Nassr, but the points were shared at the Al Awal Park at King Saud University. 

Data Debrief: Champions end Ronaldo streak

Ronaldo's run of four straight games with a goal came to an end against Al-Hilal, though he was Al-Nassr's most potent attacking threat during the encounter. 

The Portugal captain registered a team-high 0.37 expected goals (xG) to Al-Nassr's 0.9 total, while also having the joint-most touches in the opposition box (five - level with Otavio). 

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    Inter moved to within a point of Serie A leaders Napoli after easing to a 3-1 win over Parma at the San Siro, extending their unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions.

    Simone Inzaghi's side moved up to 31 points after 14 games of their season, but Napoli could restore their four-point cushion over Inter with victory over Lazio on Sunday. 

    Inter were awarded a penalty with eight minutes on the clock after Mandela Keita clipped the heels of Lautaro Martinez, but after a VAR review, it was changed to a free-kick. 

    But the hosts found themselves in front five minutes before the break when Federico Dimarco sensationally took the ball on his back foot before firing past Zion Suzuki. 

    Inter doubled their advantage in the 53rd minute through Nicolo Barella, who picked up Henrikh Mkhitaryan's through ball before sitting down Emanuele Valeri, staying composed to roll the ball confidently home.

    The victory was sealed just after the hour-mark when Yann Bisseck flicked Hakan Calhanoglu's corner to Thuram, who volleyed home his 10th league goal of the season. 

    Parma did, however, net a late consolation when Matteo Darmian tussled with Dennis Man following Hernani's ball forward, only for the former Manchester United defender to inadvertently bundle the ball beyond Yann Sommer. 

    Data Debrief: Mkhitaryan masterclass

    Inter have now scored at least three goals in a Serie A match for the seventh time this season, with only Paris Saint-Germain (nine), Bayern Munich and Barcelona (both eight) scoring three or more goals more often than the Nerazzurri. 

    But their victory was inspired by the brilliance of Mkhitaryan, with the Armenian notching the assists for Dimarco and Barella on Friday. 

    Since his arrival at Inter in 2022, only Charles De Ketelaere and Luis Alberto (both 14) have registered more assists than Mkhitaryan (12), while he also created more chances (four) than any other player on the pitch during the game.

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    The result moved Al-Ittihad three points clear at the summit, though Al-Hilal can go level with them with a win over Al-Raed on Saturday. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, stayed in fourth. 

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