February 15, (THEWILL) — Al-Nassr climbed to second place in the Saudi Pro League after defeating Al-Fateh 2-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo returning to score following his two-match absence. The 41-year-old Portugal forward had sat out recent fixtures in protest over the club’s transfer dealings.
Ronaldo found the net after 18 minutes when Sadio Mane delivered a curled pass from the left wing, which the striker converted with a first-time finish past goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco. The early goal came after Ronaldo had already missed one opportunity in the opening seconds and Kingsley Coman had fired over from close range.
Al-Fateh responded well during the remainder of the first half, with Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, Mourad Batna and Jorge Fernandes all forcing saves from Bento. Mohamed Simakan thought he had scored from Marcelo Brozovic’s partially cleared corner, but VAR ruled the effort offside after an extended review.
Alman Yahya sealed the victory in the 78th minute, controlling Coman’s delivery before striking a fierce shot that gave Pacheco no opportunity to save. The result extended Al-Nassr’s winning run to six consecutive league matches.
The victory moved the club up the table while Ronaldo’s return proved decisive in maintaining their strong form. Mane continued his recent good performances despite the forward’s comeback to the starting line-up.
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.
