Cristiano Ronaldo shines with two goals in Al-Nassr victory

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo played a pivotal role on Friday as Al-Nassr secured a 2-0 victory against Damac in the Saudi Pro League, keeping alive their title challenge. Ronaldo's performance included two goals that contributed significantly to the team's standing in the league amidst a competitive season. The match saw him score from the penalty spot in the 16th minute after defender Abdelkader Bedrane's foul, which set the tone for Al-Nassr's dominance and put them ahead early in the game. As the confrontation progressed, Bedrane's evening worsened with a red card early in the second half, further hampering Damac's efforts. With Al-Nassr capitalizing on their numerical advantage, Ronaldo sealed the victory with a close-range goal in the final minutes, marking a significant highlight of his tenure in Saudi Arabia since joining in 2022 amid great expectations for major trophies. This win places Al-Nassr firmly in third position in the league standings, trailing the leaders Al-Ittihad by five points, while defending champions Al-Hilal follow closely in second. With this match, Ronaldo has now scored nine goals in the league this season, elevating him to second in the league's scoring chart, just three goals shy of the current leader, Aleksandar Mitrovic of Al-Hilal. The match came at a critical juncture in the season, with a little over a third of the matches played. Despite the victory, Ronaldo's quest for a major trophy in Saudi Arabia continues, as the year draws to a close and the competition intensifies for the title. Moving forward, Al-Nassr will need to maintain their form and focus to close the gap between themselves and the top teams as the league progresses into the more decisive stages of the competition.