Cristiano Ronaldo led Al-Nassr to a huge 2-0 win over Al-Ahli on Wednesday as the Riyadh club moved closer to the Saudi Pro League title.
The veteran forward scored in the second half at Al-Awwal Park to put his side in control. The win pushed Al-Nassr eight points ahead of Al-Hilal in second place and 13 clear of Al-Ahli in third, though both rivals still have one match left.
Al-Ahli almost struck first in the 13th minute when Merih Demiral rose for a header, but Bento made a sharp save to push it away. Soon after, the Al-Nassr goalkeeper easily stopped Galeno’s long shot.
The visitors thought they had taken the lead early after the break when Riyad Mahrez found the net. But the goal was ruled out for offside.
Joao Felix then missed a big chance for Al-Nassr when he sent his shot over the bar from close range. Still, he stayed dangerous and kept creating problems.
In the 76th minute, Felix delivered another dangerous set piece. Ronaldo reacted first and guided a clever header into the far corner to finally break the deadlock.
Al-Nassr stayed calm after taking the lead and controlled the closing stages.
Kingsley Coman made sure of the points deep into added time. He raced onto Aiman Yahya’s pass and beat Edouard Mendy at the near post.
It was another strong defensive display from Al-Nassr. They now have 17 league clean sheets this season, their best ever record, with eight of those coming at home.
