RIYADH: Al-Nassr claimed a comprehensive 5-2 win over Al-Najma on Friday night to extend their lead over Al-Hilal to six points at the top of the Saudi Pro League table.
Al-Nassr now have 70 points from 27 matches, but their Riyadh city rivals can once again close that gap to three points if they win their game in hand against Al-Taawoun on Saturday night.
The home fans were briefly stunned when Al-Najma took a shock lead on 44 minutes but Abdullah Al-Hamdan managed to ease their worries with an equalizer deep into first half stoppage time. It got worse for the visitors when Sadio Mane completed the turnaround to give Al-Nassr the lead in the eighth minute of added time.
To their credit, Al-Najma came out fighting in the second half and levelled match only two minutes from the restart through Felippe Cardoso.
It was time for the Cristiano Ronaldo show. The Portuguese legend gave Al-Nassr the lead from the penalty spot on 56 minutes before scoring his 97th Saudi Pro League goal on his 100th appearance in the 73rd minute, controlling Nawaf Bu Washl’s low cross from the right before finishing in typical deadly fashion past Victor Braga in Al-Najma’s goal. The player of the match award would follow at full time.
Before that there was still time for Mane to score his second and Al-Nassr’s fifth from close range in stoppage to seal a comfortable home victory and keep the Yellows firmly on course for the title.
Earlier on Friday, Al-Ittihad claimed a 1-0 win at home against Al-Hazem despite having Moussa Diaby sent off after 34 minutes. Having been denied a penalty by VAR in the 66th minute, the reigning SPL champions took the lead six minutes later through Abdulrahman Al-Obud. Al-Ittihad now sit sixth in the table with 45 points from 27 matches. Al-Hazem are in 10th place with 31 points from the same number of matches.
In the day’s other match, Al-Kholood drew 2-2 with Khaleej Club with two first-half goals from Guga (9 minutes) and Abdulaziz Al-Elewai (37), the visitors’ first equalizer coming from a Konstantinos Fortounis penalty spot on 18 minutes. Khaleej grabbed a point thanks to a second leveller from Giorgos Masouras in the 85th minute.
The result leaves Al-Kholood in 14th place and Khaleej in 10th.
