Ronaldo Double Strike Fires Al-Nassr to Saudi Pro League Glory

Six years after their last league win, Al-Nassr are champions of Saudi Arabia once again. They wrapped up the Saudi Pro League title with a strong 4-1 win over Damac on the final day of the season, leading to big celebrations at Al-Awwal Park after a tight and exciting title race.

Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal went into the final matchday still in the running for the trophy, which kept Riyadh split in support through the night. Al-Hilal did beat Al-Fayha 1-0, but it did not matter in the end as Al-Nassr got the job done with their own win.

The night started with early action in Al-Majma’ah. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic set up Sultan Mandash, who scored for Al-Hilal against Al-Fayha in just the fourth minute.

Shortly after, Al-Riyadh went ahead against Al-Okhdood through Toze. That left Damac needing at least a draw against Al-Nassr to stay in the top division.

Analyzing this scenario, Al-Nassr had to be patient as they faced a deep defensive setup from Damac. The visitors stayed compact in a 5-4-1 shape, making it hard to find space in the early part of the game.

The first 15 minutes went by without Al-Nassr managing a shot on target. But just like they did against Al-Hilal a few weeks earlier, Al-Nassr broke the deadlock from a set-piece after the cooling break. Joao Felix sent in a corner, and Mane rose to head it in, which set off celebrations at Al-Awwal Park.

Al-Nassr added a second goal in the 52nd minute, as Kingsley Coman scored with a clean finish from outside the box.

Damac pulled one back shortly after when Mohamed Simakan was penalised for handball inside the box. Morlaye Sylla stepped up and scored from the penalty spot to cut the gap.

Things almost got worse for Al-Nassr soon after, as goalkeeper Bento had to make an important save from a Damac counterattack to keep his team ahead.

But Cristiano Ronaldo made sure there was no late trouble. The Portuguese star eased the pressure with a brilliant free-kick from a tight angle on the left side, giving Al-Nassr more breathing room. After that, the mood at Al-Awwal Park turned from nervous to full celebration.

Ronaldo struck again in the 81st minute, finishing well to complete his second goal of the night. That goal confirmed Al-Nassr as champions, ending their wait for a league title since 2019.

For Ronaldo, it is his first Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr, coming ahead of what could be his final World Cup appearance with Portugal this summer.