Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice in the second half—his second a late penalty—as Al-Nassr secured a thrilling 3-1 win over rivals Al-Hilal, climbing to third place in the league standings.
The opening half offered little in terms of clear-cut chances. Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran both had attempts blocked, while Aiman Yahya forced the first real save from Yassine Bounou in the 43rd minute.
However, the game came to life just before the break. Deep into stoppage time, Ali Al Hassan lit up the contest with a sensational curling effort from the edge of the box, finding the top corner to give Al-Nassr the lead.
Moments into the second half, Al-Nassr doubled their advantage. Mane’s clever cutback was met by Ronaldo, who coolly finished with his left foot to make it 2-0.
Al-Hilal responded quickly through Ali Al Bulayhi’s powerful header, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and setting up a tense finale.
But Ronaldo had the final say. As Al-Hilal pressed for an equalizer, Al-Nassr were awarded a late penalty.
The 40-year-old Portuguese star stepped up and confidently slotted the ball down the middle, sealing all three points and extending Al-Nassr’s impressive start to the 2025 season.
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