April 04, (THEWILL) — A Cristiano Ronaldo brace on his 100th Saudi Pro League appearance fired Al-Nassr to a 5-2 victory over Al-Najma, stretching their lead at the summit to six points, ahead of Al-Hilal’s fixture against Al-Taawon on Saturday.
Jorge Jesus’s side dominated the opening period yet were caught on the counter in the 44th minute, when Felippe Cardoso held possession with strength before laying off for Rakan Al Tulayhi to strike firmly from the edge of the area.
Al-Nassr recovered before the break: Abdullah Al Hamddan levelled after Abdulelah Al Amri flicked on Marcelo Brozovic’s cross, and Sadio Mane put the hosts in front by weaving past three opponents and firing into the top corner deep into first-half stoppage time.
Cardoso cancelled out the advantage again shortly after the interval, converting from David Tijanic’s cutback, before Ronaldo restored Al-Nassr’s lead from the penalty spot after Abdullah Al Hawsawi was penalised for handball.
The Portuguese forward added a second in the 73rd minute, finishing from Nawaf Bu Washl’s low delivery. The goal was initially flagged for offside before VAR intervened to allow it to stand. Mane rounded off the afternoon in the 95th minute, tapping in from Salem Al Najdi’s cross.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
