The two global superstars remain among the biggest names in their respective leagues, but both clubs have experienced setbacks that have raised questions about their title ambitions. Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered his first Saudi Pro League defeat of the season with Al-Nassr, while Lionel Messi has also endured a difficult stretch with Inter Miami during the 2026-27 campaign. The two global superstars remain among the biggest names in their respective leagues, but both clubs have experienced setbacks that have raised questions about their title ambitions. Al-Nassr’s latest setback came in a dramatic 2-1 defeat to Al-Ittihad, with George Ilenikhena scoring twice before Angelo pulled one back for the visitors. Despite dominating large portions of the second half, Ronaldo’s side could not find a second goal, with goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic producing a standout performance to preserve the result. Al-Ittihad started the match at a furious pace and needed only four minutes to take the lead. Ilenikhena reacted quickest after Steven Bergwijn’s effort was parried onto the post, heading the loose ball into the bottom corner. The young striker doubled his tally in the 22nd minute after Houssem Aouar split the Al-Nassr defence with a perfectly weighted pass. Ilenikhena kept his composure before finishing clinically, giving Al-Ittihad a two-goal advantage and putting the visitors under immediate pressure. The defeat leaves Ronaldo’s team on 12 points from five league matches, while Al-Ittihad climbed to 11 and remains unbeaten. Ronaldo suffers first league loss with Saudi defending champions For Ronaldo, the defeat marks his first Saudi Pro League loss of the campaign after Al-Nassr had won its opening four matches. The Portuguese superstar had opportunities but could not find the goal that would have rescued his side from a damaging night. The result also benefits Al-Hilal, which now sits three points ahead of Al-Nassr at the top of the standings. Al-Ittihad’s victory means the gap between the two sides has been reduced to only one point, adding another layer of intrigue to the title race. Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr reacts How many MLS losses does Messi have? The comparison with Messi produces an interesting answer because Inter Miami has suffered four MLS regular-season defeats during the 2026 campaign, but Messi has featured in only two of those losses. In his 19 league appearances this season, the Argentine has recorded an impressive 11 wins, six draws and two defeats. Lionel Messi of Inter Miami. Messi’s two losses came during Inter Miami’s difficult August run. He was on the field for a 4-1 defeat away to Nashville on August 16 and a 2-1 home loss to Toronto on August 23, giving him only two MLS defeats while playing this season. The Herons’ wider record is considerably less impressive, with the club also losing to Los Angeles FC in February and enduring further defeats during the Leagues Cup. The latter included losses to Monterrey and Club Leon, although those results came outside the MLS regular season.
The 2-1 loss ended a perfect start for Ange Postecoglou's side, but another setback has emerged that could complicate the team's preparations for its next league fixture. Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix are facing a fresh challenge at Al-Nassr after the club suffered its first defeat of the Saudi Pro League season against Al-Ittihad. The 2-1 loss ended a perfect start for Ange Postecoglou’s side, but another setback has emerged that could complicate the team’s preparations for its next league fixture. Al-Nassr fought back after falling two goals behind in Jeddah, with Angelo pulling one back before the visitors piled on the pressure. Despite creating several chances late in the match, however, Al-Ittihad held on to claim a major victory and move within one point of Al-Nassr in the table. Al-Ittihad made a flying start, with George Ilenikhena opening the scoring after only four minutes. Steven Bergwijn’s effort was saved by Nawaf Al-Aqidi and came back off the post, allowing Ilenikhena to react quickest and head the rebound into the bottom corner. The young striker doubled his tally in the 22nd minute after Houssem Aouar found him with a clever ball behind the Al-Nassr defence. Ilenikhena kept his composure before producing a superb left-footed finish, giving the hosts a 2-0 advantage and putting Al-Nassr in serious trouble. Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr reacts The visitors eventually found a route back into the contest through Angelo. Cristiano Ronaldo helped create the opening with a brilliant first-touch lob into the area, which released Felix before the ball eventually fell to Angelo, who fired home to make it 2-1 before half-time. Al-Nassr suffers first defeat despite strong push for equalizer Al-Nassr emerged from the interval with much greater intensity and began creating opportunities around the Al-Ittihad penalty area. Ronaldo tested Predrag Rajkovic with a left-footed effort, while Felix also threatened from a difficult angle. Rajkovic quickly became the difference between the two teams, making five saves in the second half alone as Al-Nassr searched desperately for an equaliser. His biggest intervention came late in the match when Felix played Sadio Mane through, only for the Serbian goalkeeper to produce another outstanding stop. The result represents a significant blow for Postecoglou, whose team had won each of its opening four league matches. Al-Nassr remains second on 12 points, while Al-Hilal has moved three points clear at the top, with Al-Ittihad now sitting fourth on 11 points. The defeat also means Ronaldo finished the match without adding to his league tally. The reason why Joao Felix will miss Abha clash The latest headache concerns Felix, who will miss Al-Nassr’s next Saudi Pro League match against Abha on Wednesday, September 9. The reason is connected to an incident late in the defeat to Al-Ittihad, when the Portuguese attacker was booked for a challenge on Richard Rios. That yellow card was his fourth caution of the season, triggering an automatic one-match suspension under the Saudi Pro League’s competition regulations. His absence leaves Postecoglou without one of the team’s most productive attacking players at a particularly important moment. Match DateOpponentFelix’s PerformanceMatch ResultAug. 15Al Fateh⚽ 1 Goal, 🟨 Yellow CardWon 3–0Aug. 21Al-Riyadh⚽ 1 GoalWon 4–0Aug. 25Al-Ettifaq🅰️ 2 Assists, 🟨 Yellow CardWon 3–2Aug. 28Al-Taawoun🟨 Yellow CardWon 2–1Sep. 5Al-Ittihad🟨 Yellow CardLost 1–2 Felix has made an excellent start to life in Saudi Arabia, scoring against Al-Fateh and Al-Riyadh while providing two assists against Al-Ettifaq. He has now contributed two goals and two assists in the league, but his disciplinary record will force him to watch the Abha match from the sidelines. The suspension was not the only frustration for Felix following the defeat. The forward appeared visibly angry with the officiating and declined to give reporters a full interview after the final whistle. Instead, the Por
Cristiano Ronaldo went scoreless as Al Nassr suffered their first loss of the season to Al Ittihad, while Ivan Toney's brace for Al Ahli took him to the outright lead of the Saudi Pro League's scoring charts. Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al Nassr suffered their first defeat of the season on Friday, falling 2-1 to Al Ittihad at home in a result that also ended manager Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten start on the bench. George Ilenikhena did the damage for the hosts, scoring a brace inside the opening 22 minutes, the first a header in the fourth minute and the second a composed left-footed finish after being played through by Houssem Aouar. Angelo pulled one back for the visitors just two minutes later, finishing from inside the box, but Al Nassr could not find an equalizer despite pushing hard in the second half and through six minutes of stoppage time. Ronaldo was unable to add to his tally in the defeat, despite a handful of half-chances throughout the match. It was the first time all season Al Nassr had failed to win, snapping a run that had them sitting second in the table with 12 points from four matches heading into the fixture. Full time. pic.twitter.com/d1os8IVBZX— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) September 5, 2026 Ivan Toney takes the lead in scoring charts While Ronaldo and Al Nassr stumbled, Ivan Toney continued his outstanding start to the campaign for Al Ahli, scoring twice from the penalty spot in a commanding 5-0 win over Al Riyadh. The Englishman opened the scoring in the 16th minute after Saad Balobaid was fouled in the box, then completed his brace in the 61st minute following a second penalty award, with Al Ahli’s foreign contingent doing most of the damage alongside additional goals from Edward Sperfsyan, Francisco Trincao and Naif Khaled Rashid Masoud. Toney’s brace now makes him the outright leader of the Saudi Pro League’s scoring charts, with 6 goals through five matches for Al Ahli. He sits well clear of the chasing pack, which includes Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Al Hilal on 4 goals, while a large group, among them Ruben Neves, Alexandre Lacazette and Angelo, sit on 3. Meanwhile, Ronaldo remains further back in the chasing pack with 2 goals for the season, having gone scoreless again on Friday and now sitting four goals adrift of Toney at the top of the table, a stark contrast to the pace he set in previous campaigns atop Saudi Arabia’s scoring charts.
Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 with Tottenham, but things could have been different as Neco Williams had put the ball in the back of the net. The post ‘The goal must stand’ – Glasner fumes at VAR after draw with Spurs appeared first on SoccerNews.
The incident occurred in the 70th minute at Fratton Park with Cardiff trailing 2-0 to the hosts, as Bielik attempted to gather the ball from the stands ahead of a throw in.
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
