George Ilenikhena scored twice inside the first 22 minutes to hand Al-Ittihad a 2-1 victory over Al-Nassr at King Abdullah Sports City on September 5 2026. The Nigerian striker headed home from close range in the fourth minute before adding a clinical finish from Houssem Aouar’s through ball. Angelo Gabriel pulled one back for the visitors three minutes before halftime by converting a rebound after Predrag Rajkovic denied Joao Felix according to match reports published by Arab News and The National.
The result marked Al-Nassr’s first Saudi Pro League defeat of the campaign under new coach Ange Postecoglou who had overseen four straight wins to open the season. League statistics compiled by the Saudi Football Federation show that Angelo Gabriel’s goal extended the Riyadh club’s record run of scoring in consecutive top-flight matches to 93 a mark that surpassed the previous benchmark of 88 set by Al-Hilal. Al-Nassr entered the fixture second in the table on 12 points three behind leaders Al-Hilal who have won all five of their matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo completed the full 90 minutes without registering a goal or assist as Al-Nassr dominated possession after the interval yet failed to beat Rajkovic again. Ilenikhena who has started the season in strong form was named man of the match for his brace that lifted Al-Ittihad into fourth place with 11 points. Postecoglou rotated his squad for the Jeddah trip with several key players including Sadio Mane and Otavio starting on the bench.
Speaking after the match Postecoglou acknowledged his side’s slow start while praising their response. “It’s frustrating to lose. We didn’t start well especially in the first 15 minutes and in the second half we saw our true capabilities. It was possible to score several goals but we were not fortunate” he said. The Australian tactician who replaced Jorge Jesus in the close season insisted the team would bounce back quickly from the setback that ended an unbeaten league run.
Head-to-head records maintained by Transfermarkt indicate Al-Ittihad have now won three of the last five encounters between the two sides across all competitions. The rivalry fixture drew a crowd of 47,661 and formed part of a busy early schedule in the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season. Al-Nassr who claimed the title in the previous campaign will look to regain momentum when they return to action later this month.
