Al-Nassr secured a narrow 3-2 victory over Al-Faisaly on Sunday in a Saudi Professional League encounter held in Al-Majma’ah, overcoming a spirited second-half challenge from their hosts. The result keeps the defending champions in second place, though their standing remains tentative due to several postponed fixtures among the league’s top teams.

Al-Nassr took an early lead in the fourth minute when Abdullah Al-Hamdan curled a low shot from outside the penalty area into the net. Following the opener, the visitors temporarily eased up on their usual high-pressing style, allowing Al-Faisaly more possession as they sought to mount a comeback.

Coach Giovanni Solinas deployed Al-Faisaly in a wide 5-4-1 formation aimed at stretching Al-Nassr’s narrow back four. Wing-backs Mohammad Al-Shanqiti and Yaseen Barnawi used width effectively, helping Al-Faisaly create several attacking opportunities by winning second balls in midfield and launching forwards behind the defense. Despite multiple promising moves, the hosts were repeatedly caught offside by slim margins.

Al-Nassr appeared to put the game beyond reach in the early second half with a header from Cristiano Ronaldo in the 49th minute, marking his 982nd career goal. A potential follow-up strike from the Portuguese star was disallowed for offside. In response, Solinas introduced Jaime Soane and DR Congo international Theo Bongonda, who quickly altered the momentum.

Bongonda, who entered the match in the 61st minute, reduced the deficit to one goal just five minutes later by heading in a cross from Al-Shanqiti, who exploited his wide left position effectively. Following the goal, Al-Faisaly pushed aggressively for an equalizer, using swift breaks to challenge the visitors’ defense.

However, Al-Nassr’s quality ultimately prevailed. Shortly after Bongonda's goal, the champions substituted Samu Costa for Angelo, whose presence was decisive. Twelve minutes after coming on, Angelo scored with a composed finish from outside the box, restoring Al-Nassr’s two-goal cushion and closing out the win.

With the victory, Al-Nassr collected 25 points, maintaining second place in the league standings. Nevertheless, several postponed matches involving top teams mean the current table does not fully reflect the contest for positions as the season progresses.