Al Nassr FC 2-1 Al-Riyadh: Ronaldo's brace fuels a comeback victory for hosts

Game is over and the final score is Al Nassr FC 2-1 Al-Riyadh. Here is the match report.

Match Report

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the second half to secure Al-Nassr a 2-1 comeback win over Al-Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League.

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. 

Data Debrief: Ronaldo steals the show

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.

Ronaldo also carried Al-Nassr to a landmark - his second strike was the team's 900th in the competition, with only Al-Hilal (1,028 goals) scoring more in Saudi Pro League history. 

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

8' Highlight from Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

12' Highlight from Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

13' Highlight from Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

25' Match Event for Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

28' Highlight from Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

31' Match Event for Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

38' Match Event for Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

47' GOAL! Al Nassr FC 0-1 Al-Riyadh (Faïz Selemani)

56' GOAL! Al Nassr FC 1-1 Al-Riyadh (Cristiano Ronaldo)

59' Highlight from Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

64' GOAL! Ronaldo nets a brace to give hosts the lead! Al Nassr FC 2-1 Al-Riyadh

77' Match Event for Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

94' Red Card! Ahmed Asiri sent off

98' Match Event for Al Nassr FC vs Al-Riyadh

Line-ups

Al Nassr FC XI: Ronaldo, Mane, Otávio, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Ali Lajami, Ali Al-Hassan, Mohamed Simakan, Jhon Durán, Bento, Nawaf Al-Boushal, Ayman Yahya

Subs: Laporte, Abdulmajeed Al-Sulayhim, Ahmad Al-Harbi, Abdullah Alkhaibari, Raghed Al-Najjar, Mohammed Marran, Ângelo, Salem Al Najdi, Majed Qasheesh

Al-Riyadh XI: Borjan, Ahmed Asiri, Tozé, Bernard Mensah, Faïz Selemani, Mohamed Konaté, Ibrahim Bayesh, Sekou Lega, Hussain Al-Nuweqi, Abdul Ilah Al-Khaibri, Marzouq Tambakti

Subs: Yehya Al Shehri, Saud Zaydan, Rayan Al-Bloushi, Enes Sali, Mohammed Saleh, Swailem Al-Menhali, Talal Haji, Nawaf Al-Hawsawi, Abdulrahman Al-Shammari