Ronaldo strike not enough to earn 10-man Al-Nassr win

Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was not enough to seal 10-man Al-Nassr a win as they gave up the lead in a 2-2 draw with Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League.

Al-Nassr had come from behind with two quick goals in first-half stoppage time but missed the chance to close the gap to the top three in the table.

Despite a bright start for the hosts, Al-Shabab took the lead in the 44th minute from the spot. Abderrazzaq Hamed-Allah coolly scored from 12 yards after Daniel Podence had been fouled by Nayef Bu Washi in the box.

In 11 minutes of injury time, Al-Nassr came to life, with Ronaldo seeing an effort cleared off the line just seconds before Aiman Yahya turned in the equaliser.

Ronaldo completed the turnaround five minutes later, rifling into the roof of the net from the right side of the box for his 926th career goal.

However, Mohammed Al Fatil was shown a straight red card after denying Podence a goalscoring opportunity in the 52nd minute, and Al-Shabab’s pressure paid off, with Mohammed Al Shwirekh heading in the equaliser 14 minutes later to earn a point.

926
AND COUNTING…… https://t.co/nqFGTA2Reb pic.twitter.com/kmo6hybZ1W

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) March 7, 2025

While Al-Nassr were unable to put some pressure on the teams above them, Al-Hilal cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Al-Fayha to move four points behind leaders Al-Ittihad.

Mohamed Kanno met Ruben Neves’ delivery to head in the opener, scoring with Al-Hilal’s first shot on target in the game in the 18th minute.

They pushed for a second goal to secure the points after the break, with Salem Al Dawsari striking the woodwork from inside the box before Aleksandar Mitrovic netted the deciding goal with just one minute left.

The visitors dominated, having 15 shots, with five of those counting as ‘big’ opportunities, and stopped their opponents from having a single effort on target. Al-Feyha remain just four points above the relegation zone.

That’s a wrap #FAYHIL pic.twitter.com/oAywBOpoCh

— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) March 7, 2025

Elsewhere, Al-Ahli fought back to earn a 2-2 draw with Al-Khaleej, needing a late goal to salvage a result.

With little between the teams in the opening stages, Al-Ahli got the breakthrough in the 30th minute, benefitting from a stroke of luck. Saeed Al Hamsal stuck out a leg in an attempt to clear a long ball and lobbed the goalkeeper, who had rushed off his line, to score a stunning own goal.

However, goals from Abdullah Al Salem and Fabio Martins in first-half stoppage time flipped the script, leaving Al-Ahli with work to do after the break.

They dominated the ball and had numerous chances, with Galeno eventually restoring parity in the 90th minute with his fourth goal in his last six appearances. His goal ensured Al-Ahli stayed level on points with Al-Nassr.