RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Cristiano Ronaldo finished the Saudi Pro League by setting the season goal-scoring record on Monday.
Ronaldo scored twice in Riyadh as Al-Nassr defeated Al-Ittihad 4-2 and lifted his league tally to 35, one more than the record in 2019 by Abderrazak Hamdallah.
In the final seconds of the first half, Ronaldo, who had already had two goals ruled out for offside, chested down a long pass from Mohammed Al-Fatil and opened the scoring with a low shot from the left side of the area.
With 21 minutes remaining, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner celebrated wildly after heading home a corner from Marcelo Brozovic. He was substituted off the field five minutes later to a standing ovation from the home fans.
It ended an action-packed season for Ronaldo, who scored four hat tricks and collected one red card. He was also suspended for an obscene gesture in February at Al-Shabab fans who had been chanting the name of Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s longstanding soccer rival.
Al-Nassr finished second in the league, 14 points behind local rival Al-Hilal, which won the championship more than two weeks ago and completed the 34-round league unbeaten on Monday.
Al-Hilal was too strong even without Neymar, who joined the club in August from Paris Saint-Germain but suffered a season-ending ACL injury in October.
Aleksandar Mitrovic stepped in and ended the season with a goal in the final seconds to clinch a 2-1 win over Al-Wehda. The Serbian striker, signed from London club Fulham last summer, reached 27 league goals, second only to Ronaldo.
On its way to the title, Al-Hilal went on a 34-game winning streak in all competitions, a new world record for a top tier team.
“This season has been truly exceptional for the team, arguably our best ever,” coach Jorge Jesus said. “The credit goes to the immense talent within the squad and the incredible sense of unity that transcends both on and off-field interactions.”
Al-Ittihad’s defeat at Al-Nassr ended a disappointing season for the defending champion. Karim Benzema, signed from Real Madrid, struggled with injuries and even with N’Golo Kante and Fabinho in midfield, signed from Chelsea and Liverpool respectively, the team from Jeddah could manage only fifth place.
Poor results cost Nuno Santo his job as coach in November, and the Portuguese tactician returned to the English Premier League a month later to take over Nottingham Forest.
Al-Ahli, the fourth of the ‘Big Four’ clubs taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund last June, finished third, 17 points behind Al-Nassr. Al-Ahli beat Al-Fayha 1-0 thanks to a late goal — his ninth of the season — from former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.
Ronaldo took the headlines, however, and the 39-year-old still had one more chance to end the season with a trophy when Al-Nassr meets Al-Hilal in the King’s Cup final on Friday.
Ronaldo sets Saudi Pro League season scoring record while Al-Hilal finishes unbeaten
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Ronaldo sets Saudi Pro League season scoring record while Al-Hilal finishes unbeaten
Salem Al-Dawsari shines as Saudi beat Oman in Arab Cup
- Al-Dawsari clipped a delightful cross for substitute Saleh Al-Shehri to strike the winner with a brilliant side-footed volley
- Morocco defeat Comoros 3-1, Kuwait and Egypt draw 1-1 on second day of tournament
DUBAI: Salem Al-Dawsari produced two assists to provide the difference as Saudi Arabia defeated Gulf rivals Oman 2-1 on the second day of the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar.
The first half ended goalless with Al-Dawsari coming closest for Saudi with a header that missed the target. Oman had the ball in the net minutes from the break after Nawaf Al-Aqidi’s spilled save from Mohammed Al-Rawahi’s long-range effort fell to Essam Al-Subhi, but his finish was clearly from an offside position.
Saudi Arabia continued to be the more dominant team after the break and fans at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan would not have to wait too long for the first goal of the evening.
The breakthrough for Saudi finally came in the 55th minute after Al-Dawsari’s excellent cross from the left was powerfully headed in by Feras Al-Buraikan past Oman’s goalkeeper Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini.
Oman hit back with 20 minutes left when defender Ghanem Al-Habashi headed home, leaving Al-Aqidi rooted to the spot from close range.
The Green Falcons retook the lead six minutes later with the best move of the match. Al-Dawsari, having raced onto Abdullah Al-Khaibari’s precise pass into the Oman penalty area, clipped a delightful cross — from the same position as his earlier assist — for substitute Saleh Al-Shehri to finish with a brilliant side-footed volley.
Al-Dawsari could have crowned his man-of-the-match performance with a last-minute goal but his first-time volley from Al-Shehri’s squared pass struck the inside of the post and rebounded to safety.
He had another chance in added time when clean through on goal, but his attempted chip struck the advancing Al-Mukhaini’s chest.
In Group B’s other match, Morocco kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 win over Comoros at Khalifa International Stadium. The Atlas Lions raced into a three-goal lead by the break thanks to efforts from Soufiane Bouftini, Tarik Tissoudali and Karim El Berkaoui. Comoros reduced the deficit through Mohamed Boulacsoute’s own goal on 56 minutes but there was no addition to the score in the rest of the match.
Morocco lead Group B with three points, on goal difference from Saudi Arabia in second.
Earlier in the day Egypt and Kuwait shared the points after a 1-1 draw at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan. Kuwait took the lead through Fahad Al-Hajeri on 64 minutes but Egypt managed to claim a point thanks to Mohamed Magdy’s penalty two minutes from time.
