A friendly meeting and a kiss from Bono: En-Nesyri reveals why he did not celebrate his Clasico goal

An impressive moment after the match

Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri has explained why he refused to celebrate his goal against compatriot Yassine Bounou during the Saudi Clasico. The Al-Ittihad striker found the net past the Al-Hilal goalkeeper and chose not to mark it.

Al-Hilal edged their rivals 3-2 on Saturday evening at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, in the eighth round of the Roshn League.

En-Nesyri opened the scoring for Al-Ittihad in the 22nd minute. He broke clear on Bounou's goal and lashed the ball into the net, leaving his fellow Moroccan with no chance.

What followed caught the eye. The striker stood still rather than celebrate, then walked over to Bounou and wrapped him in a consoling embrace.

En-Nesyri reflected on that moment during a friendly chat with Bounou on the "Nadeena" programme on "MBC 1". He said: "Bounou is my older brother, and I love him dearly. We played together for many years with the Morocco national team and at Sevilla."

Bounou returned the warmth. The Al-Hilal goalkeeper kissed En-Nesyri on the head and said: "Youssef En-Nesyri is like my younger brother, and he put in a wonderful performance for which I congratulate him."

The pair spent several years together at Sevilla before Bounou joined Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023. En-Nesyri followed him to Saudi Arabia this past January, signing for Al-Ittihad from Fenerbahce.