Report by Dr. Talal Osman
Cristiano Ronaldo steers Al‑Nassr to “league medal” with 2–0 win over Al‑Ahli
Portuguese veteran Cristiano Ronaldo led his club Al‑Nassr to clutch the “Saudi league medal” away from one of their main rivals for the title, after brushing aside visiting Al‑Ahli 2–0 at the Al‑Awwal Park in the 30th matchday of the Saudi Pro League.
With this victory, Al‑Nassr lifted their tally to 79 points from 30 matches, sitting top of the table with an eight‑point cushion over Al‑Hilal in second place, who have played 29 rounds so far. Al‑Ahli’s points remained stuck on 66 points from 29 matches, leaving them third in the standings.
Match flashpoints and title‑race tension
The closing moments of the game saw ugly scuffles and clashes between the two sides, with Turkish defender Merih Demiral of Al‑Nassr at the heart of the turmoil after he celebrated his Asian Cup medal in front of the home‑supporters’ stands.
The match had already been charged with verbal war‑of‑words between the two camps. Earlier, Al‑Ahli president Khalid Al‑Ghamdi claimed his side’s AFC Champions League Elite win as a kind of moral superiority, which many fans and pundits interpreted as veiled mockery of Al‑Nassr. Al‑Ahli fans then demanded that Al‑Nassr pay a guard‑of‑honor salute at Al‑Awwal Park in recognition of the “continental title,” a proposal that the Nassr faithful firmly rejected, turning this fixture into a “furious derby” in every sense of the word.
First‑half moments and near‑misses
In the opening exchanges, Al‑Ahli center‑back Demiral lashed a powerful close‑range header straight at goal, but Al‑Nassr goalkeeper Bento did brilliantly to push it away for a corner.
On a fast counter, Galleno nearly put Al‑Ahli ahead with a long‑range strike that flashed just wide in the 16th minute.
On the other side, Édouard Mendy kept Al‑Ahli alive by denying Ronaldo with a sharp close‑range block in the 22nd minute, after a slick pass from João Félix inside the penalty area.
Second‑half drama and VAR intervention
In the second minute of the second half, Riyad Mahrez rattled the net with a low drive from close range, only for the referee to disallow the effort for offside after a VAR check.
Ronaldo then came close from a free‑kick from the left side, but Mendy tipped the ball away in the 53rd minute.
Al‑Nassr kept pressing, with Félix firing another powerful shot from inside the box just over the bar in the 56th minute.
Ronaldo’s winner and Al‑Nassr’s dominance
The breakthrough finally came in the 76th minute, when Ronaldo soared high to meet a Félix corner and headed a precise effort past Mendy and into the far post, giving Al‑Nassr the lead.
The goal lifted Ronaldo’s tally to 25 goals this season, moving him into third place in the league’s scoring charts, three goals behind current top‑scorer Julián Álvarez.
Meanwhile, João Félix tops the assist charts in the Saudi Pro League this campaign with 12 assists, just one ahead of Constantinos Fortounis of Al‑Khaleej.
Combat‑test and title confirmation
In the closing moments of regulation time, Coman sealed the victory with a powerful strike from inside the box, doubling Al‑Nassr’s lead to 2–0 and underlining a fully deserved win for the Saudi league leaders.
With the points gap now at eight points and Al‑Hilal still to play their 30th match, Ronaldo’s leadership and Al‑Nassr’s consistency have brought them a step closer to wrapping up the Saudi Pro League crown without needing to wait for the final whistle of the campaign.
