RIYADH: With Al-Nassr firmly in the Saudi Pro League title race and waiting for any slip-up from Al-Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the starting XI was a timely boost after a period dominated by off-field distractions involving the player, the club and the Public Investment Fund.

The visitors overcame a stern test at the Meydan Tamweel Al-Oula Stadium, where they suffered a frustrating 3-2 defeat last season, to secure all three points.

Ronaldo had an early sight of goal just 34 seconds into the match, meeting Kingsley Coman’s cross at the far post but sending his volley wide.

Despite failing to win in their previous six outings, Al-Fateh posed an early threat, with Mourad Batna beating two defenders before firing narrowly wide in the seventh minute.

Chances followed at both ends. Coman squandered a golden opportunity after latching onto Sadio Mane’s cross, before Mane himself struck the side netting from a tight angle in the 15th minute.

Ronaldo eventually broke the deadlock three minutes later. Mane beat Saad Baattia in a one-on-one duel before delivering a low cross into the area, where the Portuguese forward finished confidently for his 18th-minute opener, the 962nd goal of his professional career.

The 39-year-old came close to adding a second in the 30th minute, but Joao Felix’s cross flashed across goal just beyond his reach.

Al-Fateh responded with sustained pressure from set pieces, but goalkeeper Bento produced a series of saves, including a sharp stop from Batna’s free kick before reacting quickly after Matias Vargas struck the crossbar.

Despite trailing at the break, Al-Fateh continued to press in the second half and had strong penalty appeals waved away when Batna was brought down in the box.

A lengthy VAR check followed in the 52nd minute after Mohamed Simakan bundled the ball into the net, but the goal was ruled out after a six-minute review.

Al-Nassr eventually sealed the result in the 77th minute when Coman’s cross was met by Ayman Yahya, who blasted past Fernando Pacheco to secure the points.

The win lifts Al-Nassr to 52 points, just one behind Al-Hilal, who beat Al-Ettifaq on Friday. Al-Fateh drop to 10th on 24 points.

Elsewhere, Al-Riyadh slid two points closer to the relegation zone after a 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej, with Kostas Fortounis cancelling out Leandro Antunes’ opener late on. Al-Najma also made history by claiming their first Saudi Pro League victory, ending a 20-match winless run with a 2-1 success over Al-Kholood.

The Saudi Pro League resumes on Thursday, with Al-Ahli hosting Al-Najma, while in the weekend’s headline fixture Al-Hilal face Al-Ittihad in Riyadh following Karim Benzema’s controversial deadline-day move.