Al-Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo continued their push for the Saudi Pro League crown with a dominant 5-0 victory over Al-Najma, as Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Kingsley Coman all found the net.
The Riyadh club had climbed to the top of the standings after defeating Al-Hazem and preserved that lead with Wednesday night’s convincing performance.
Ronaldo on target as Al-Nassr cruise to victory
Al-Nassr’s title bid has been boosted by Al-Hilal dropping points in consecutive draws. Knowing a win would keep them ahead, Ronaldo and his teammates made a flying start when VAR awarded them an early penalty.
Ronaldo stepped up and calmly converted from the spot, scoring his 965th career goal as he continues his pursuit of the 1,000 mark.
Al-Najma struggled to cope with Al-Nassr’s quality and the match was effectively settled before half-time. Coman turned sharply to fire in the second goal before Inigo Martinez struck from long range, his shot taking a deflection that wrong-footed goalkeeper Waled Al-Enazi.
The visitors struck again soon after the restart. Ronaldo turned provider, slipping the ball to Mane, who blasted a fine effort into the top corner to make it 4-0.
It was Martinez who completed the rout with his second of the night, nodding home from a corner to seal a ninth straight league win and move Al-Nassr two points clear at the summit.
The MVP
Ronaldo may have briefly paused his scoring run earlier this year after missing several matches following the January transfer window, but his recent form shows no sign of rust.
He opened the scoring with confidence from the penalty spot and later displayed sharp vision to assist Mane’s strike.
The Portuguese star appeared slightly frustrated when manager Jorge Jesus substituted him before the hour mark, as he might have added more goals against weak opposition. Still, the rest could prove valuable as Al-Nassr chase his first Saudi Pro League title since joining in 2023.
That can only be viewed as a positive.
The big loser
With Al-Nassr capitalising on dropped points, the main casualty of this result is Al-Hilal.
When Karim Benzema arrived in January and immediately began scoring freely, they seemed favourites for the championship. However, their recent dip in form has allowed Al-Nassr to seize control of the race for the trophy.
There is still plenty of football to be played, with 11 games remaining for the leading sides. Meanwhile, Ivan Toney’s Al-Ahli sit second and remain firmly in contention.
