Al-Nassr 2-1 Al-Riyadh: Ronaldo brace seals second-half comeback

Al-Riyadh had taken the lead in first-half stoppage time, but a Ronaldo-inspired fightback ensured Al-Nassr kept the pressure on second-placed Al-Hilal.

Jhon Duran came the closest to an early opener. He latched onto Ronaldo's clever flick before poking it into the side netting under no pressure at the near post.

Despite Al-Nassr's dominance, the visitors had the better chances, with Bernard Mensah seeing a long-range strike skim the top of the bar.

Faiz Selemani eventually found the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time, pouncing on the rebound of Abdulelah Al Khaibari's saved shot to poke in from close range.

Al-Nassr restored parity 11 minutes into the second half. Sadio Mane squared it across the face of goal, and Ronaldo quickly adjusted to tap it into an empty net from two yards out.

The 40-year-old got his second in the 64th minute, striking a looping deflection sweetly on the volley to send it crashing into the net off the underside of the bar.

Al-Riyadh were then reduced to 10 men in the 94th minute when Ahmad Asiri caught Duran with a late tackle, resulting in a straight red card.

While Al-Nassr moved to within one point of Al-Hilal, Al-Qadsiah missed the chance to leapfrog Al-Ahli into fourth after a 2-1 defeat to Al-Feiha.

|| Full time,Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/DsEi7CBN02

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) April 12, 2025

Ronaldo did what he always does, and scored important goals when his team most needed him.

He has now contributed to 13 goals in 12 Saudi Pro League derbies (10 goals, three assists). It was his fourth goal in three games against Al-Riyadh.