Saudi Professional League title race depends on the Capital Derby today

Al Hilal’s Win Blows Saudi Pro League Wide Open — And Suddenly Ronaldo’s First Title Isn’t Certain The Saudi Pro League title race was supposed to be over. It isn’t anymore.Al Hilal’s 3-1 win at Al Khaleej on May 5 and Al Nassr’s shock 3-1 loss at Al Qadsiah on May 4 have flipped the script with just three games to go. What looked like Cristiano Ronaldo’s coronation is now a knife-edge finish and the May 12 Riyadh Derby could decide everything. That leaves Al Nassr on 82 points from 32 games and Al Hilal on 77 points from 31 games. the gap shrinked to 2 points with three matchdays left. Al Hilal control their own destiny. If they win all four remaining games — including the May 12 Riyadh Derby vs Al Nassr — they are champions. Their form is immaculate: unbeaten in 30 league games with 22 wins and 8 draws. Karim Benzema hit a hat-trick recently to keep them in it, and Jorge Jesus’ side have barely put a foot wrong since losing 3-1 to Al Nassr on Jan 12 — the result that sparked Nassr’s winning run. The schedule favours them too. Al Hilal’s final game vs TS Galaxy was moved to May 12, five days before their AFC Champions League final vs Gamba Osaka. They finish domestically before Nassr. What went wrong for Ronaldo at Al Qadsiah Ronaldo played 90 minutes but had only 21 touches, no successful dribbles, and no shots on target aside from a first-half effort that hit the bar.Joao Felix equalised for Nassr after Abu Al Shamat’s opener, but Julian Quinones scored twice in the second half to seal it. The loss snapped Ronaldo’s 20-game winning streak ,matching the longest club run of his career.The psychological blow is for months Al Nassr looked unstoppable. Ronaldo posted “One mission. We keep working together!” after the defeat, but the aura of invincibility is gone. Regardless of that loss Al nassr picked themselves up and went to face Al Shabab on the road and made sure they took all three points as Joao Felix scoreda brace in the first half to ensure Al nassr the lead and at fulltime he had his hat trick after scoring late in the game at 90+8minutes.Cristiano Ronaldo also added to his tally in this game by scoring in the 78th minute ,the match ended 4-2 in favor of Al Nassr and today they are at home ready to fight for the number one spot. The stakes now - Ronaldo, 41, is chasing his first league title in Saudi Arabia and is still closing in on *1,000 career goals, he’s on 971.Al Nassr have two trophies left: the SPL and the AFC Champions League 2 final vs Gamba Osaka on May 16.A title collapse now, with two games left, would be “utterly devastating” .May 12 at Alawwal Park. Al Nassr vs Al Hilal. Al hilal have now a Gap of 2 points to al nassr. So if they beat Nassr and they go 1 point clear with two games left.If Al Nassr win ,they’re essentially champions. They only need to win two more games if one is vs Hilal.If they draw,Nassr still need to win their game with Darmac to stay ahead. The derby is no longer a party it’s a final. Al Nassr host it, but Al Hilal have the momentum. The pressure is getting to everyone. Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney and teammate Galeno have publicly questioned officiating, suggesting the league wants “one person” to lift the trophy implying Ronaldo. Galeno posted: “Hand over the trophy, that’s what they want”.Whether true or not, it shows how much rides on this title for Ronaldo’s legacy in Saudi. Al Hilal’s win didn’t just make the race interesting it made it a 50/50 coin flip.Three weeks ago Al Nassr were 8 points clear after beating Al Ahli 2-0. Now they’re one slip from losing it all. For Ronaldo, this is the defining moment of his Saudi chapter. Score in the derby, win the title,and he silences doubters. Lose, and Hilal’s unbeaten season becomes the story.The Capital Derby today isn’t just a game. It’s the title.