Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr faced off in the 30th round of the Saudi Pro League at “Oil Park” stadium, delivering one of the most dramatic matches of the season. Despite Al-Nassr leading by two goals, Al-Ittihad staged a historic comeback to win 3-2, taking a big step towards the league title.

The match started with an early goal by Sadio Mane in the 3rd minute for Al-Nassr, followed by Ayman Yahya scoring the second goal in the 38th minute. However, Al-Ittihad turned the game around in the second half with goals from Karim Benzema (49′), N’Golo Kanté (52′), and a stunning late strike from Husam Al-Awwar (90+4′).

With this victory, Al-Ittihad climbed to the top of the league with 71 points, while Al-Nassr dropped to fourth with 60 points. But the biggest talking point was the intense brawl that erupted immediately after the final whistle.

The incident began when Moussa Diaby, holding the ball, was aggressively pulled back by Al-Nassr’s Abdullah Al-Khaibari. Diaby reacted violently, attempting to strike Al-Khaibari in the face. The tension escalated quickly, with Al-Khaibari hitting Diaby in the head, who then retaliated with a punch.

The chaos didn’t end there. Nawaf Boushal joined the fray, striking Diaby and Steven Berghuis. The situation turned dangerously violent as players, coaches, and staff from both teams rushed onto the pitch to separate them.

Despite the potential for one of the season’s most controversial scenes, the TV director initially censored the footage, instead showing Al-Ittihad players celebrating in a corner of the pitch. However, after a few seconds, the cameras returned to the main scene, displaying the heated altercation.

Dutch referee Danny Makkelie issued yellow cards to Al-Khaibari and Berghuis but showed a straight red to Diaby for his role in the altercation. These incidents marked the end of one of the most thrilling and controversial matches of the Saudi Pro League season.