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Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 972nd and 973rd goals of his career as Al Nassr beat Damac 4-1 on Thursday to clinch its first Saudi Pro League title since 2019.
Knowing a win would mean beating out Al Hilal for the league title, Sadio Mané started the scoring by connecting on a 34th-minute header off a João Félix corner kick.
The celebrations at Al-Awwal Park continued in the 52nd minute when Kingsley Coman doubled the lead with a curling shot from just outside the Damac penalty box.
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Tension would fill the air in the 58th minute when Damac would cut the deficit to 2-1 knowing that an Al Nassr draw coupled with an Al Hilal win would cost Al Nassr the title. But five minutes later, it was the 41-year-old Ronaldo stepping up and reinstating a two-goal lead for the home side after slicing a free kick through traffic.
Ronaldo wasn’t done after that. In the 81st minute, he pounced on a loose ball in the penalty box and fired a shot into the Damac net for a 4-1 lead.
The SPL title, Al Nassr’s 11th, is the first for the club since Ronaldo joined in Dec. 2022. Their only other trophy since the Portuguese star signed came during the Arab Club Champions Cup, an unofficial competition, three years ago.
Since coming to Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr finished second in each of Ronaldo’s first two seasons and ended up third in 2024-25. The club has also lost four cup finals — King’s Cup, AFC Champions League Two, Saudi Super Cup (twice) — since 2022.
Al Nassr could have wrapped up the league title last week, but a stoppage time own goal against Al Hilal, who finished the season without a loss, delayed the celebrations.
Ronaldo, who was named to his sixth Portugal World Cup squad this week, now has 102 goals in four seasons with Al Nassr. He remains 27 goals shy of 1,000 total for his career.
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Knowing a win would mean beating out Al Hilal for the league title, Sadio Mané started the scoring by connecting on a 34th-minute header off a João Félix corner kick.
The celebrations at Al-Awwal Park continued in the 52nd minute when Kingsley Coman doubled the lead with a curling shot from just outside the Damac penalty box.
Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament
Tension would fill the air in the 58th minute when Damac would cut the deficit to 2-1 knowing that an Al Nassr draw coupled with an Al Hilal win would cost Al Nassr the title. But five minutes later, it was the 41-year-old Ronaldo stepping up and reinstating a two-goal lead for the home side after slicing a free kick through traffic.
Ronaldo wasn’t done after that. In the 81st minute, he pounced on a loose ball in the penalty box and fired a shot into the Damac net for a 4-1 lead.
The SPL title, Al Nassr’s 11th, is the first for the club since Ronaldo joined in Dec. 2022. Their only other trophy since the Portuguese star signed came during the Arab Club Champions Cup, an unofficial competition, three years ago.
Since coming to Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr finished second in each of Ronaldo’s first two seasons and ended up third in 2024-25. The club has also lost four cup finals — King’s Cup, AFC Champions League Two, Saudi Super Cup (twice) — since 2022.
Al Nassr could have wrapped up the league title last week, but a stoppage time own goal against Al Hilal, who finished the season without a loss, delayed the celebrations.
Ronaldo, who was named to his sixth Portugal World Cup squad this week, now has 102 goals in four seasons with Al Nassr. He remains 27 goals shy of 1,000 total for his career.
Continue reading...
