CR7 Brace Powers Al-Nassr to Summit of Saudi Pro League

Riyadh—Cristiano Ronaldo turned Saturday evening into a personal milestone and a collective triumph, scoring twice in Al-Nassr’s 4-0 dismantling of Al-Hazm to propel Jorge Jesus’ side to the top of the Saudi Pro League. The brace carried the 41-year-old past the 500-goal mark since his 30th birthday, a benchmark he reached on 5 February and now extends to 501.

The Portuguese forward opened the account after 13 minutes, latching onto a Kingsley Coman pass and rounding goalkeeper Zaied for the simplest of finishes. João Félix doubled the advantage on the half-hour mark, again from a Coman assist, effectively settling the contest before the break.

Ronaldo’s second arrived ten minutes from time, a near carbon copy of his first: Coman the provider, the captain the clinical finisher. The goals lifted Al-Nassr to 55 points and an eighth consecutive league victory, enough to leapfrog defending champions Al-Hilal, who were held 1-1 by Al-Ittihad despite the latter playing a man down from the ninth minute. Simone Inzaghi’s side now sits on 54 points, while Sérgio Conceição’s Al-Ittihad climbs to 38 and sixth place.

Al-Hazm, stranded on 24 points in 12th, must regroup quickly for Friday’s home date against seventh-placed Al-Ettifaq. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, turn their attention to next Saturday’s trip to Al-Fayha, the next obstacle in an increasingly gripping title race.