Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 4, 2025 – Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a decisive blow in the Saudi Pro League’s marquee showdown, scoring a stunning goal to put Al Nassr up 2-0 against arch-rivals Al Hilal at the Kingdom Arena on Friday night. The 40-year-old Portuguese icon struck in the 47th minute of the Matchday 26 clash, igniting Al Nassr fans and bolstering their side’s title chase in a game billed as a potential turning point in the 2024-25 season.
A Classic Ronaldo Moment
The breakthrough came early in the second half, with Al Nassr already leading 1-0 thanks to a first-minute strike from Anderson Talisca, who capitalized on a curling cross from Otavio, per Sportstar. Ronaldo’s moment arrived when Sadio Mané, cutting in from the left, rolled a pinpoint pass into the box. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner unleashed a venomous left-footed shot from a tight angle, rifling it past Al Hilal’s goalkeeper Yassine Bono into the bottom corner. “SIUUUUUUU,” erupted across social media, with posts on X from @TNTSportsAR and @SC_ESPN capturing the golazo’s brilliance.
Ronaldo’s celebration—his trademark leap and shout—electrified the crowd at 11:47 p.m. local time (1:47 p.m. PDT), as Al Nassr seized control of the Riyadh derby. The goal, his 17th in the league this season, underscored his enduring clutch factor in a match Al Nassr desperately needed to win to stay in contention, sitting fourth with 51 points entering the game—10 behind leaders Al Ittihad and four adrift of second-place Al Hilal, per Sportstar’s preview.
A Pivotal Clash
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Al Hilal, the defending champions with a 57-point haul, had won their last two league matches, while Al Nassr snapped a winless streak with a 3-1 victory over Al Kholood last week, per Sporting News. A loss here could’ve widened the gap to an insurmountable 13 points with only nine games left, effectively ending Al Nassr’s title hopes. Instead, Ronaldo’s strike—his 10th against Al Hilal across all competitions, more than any other opponent in the league, per MyKhel—kept the race alive, cutting the deficit to a manageable seven points pending the match’s conclusion.
Al Hilal, despite boasting stars like João Cancelo, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Aleksandar Mitrović, struggled to contain Al Nassr’s early onslaught. Talisca’s opener came just 25 seconds in, and Ronaldo’s follow-up exposed defensive frailties, with Renan Lodi caught out of position. “Al Nassr’s pressing rattled the champs,” one X post noted, reflecting a first half where Ronaldo also nearly assisted Mohamed Simakan from a free kick, per Sporting News’s earlier coverage of their November 1 draw.
Title Race Implications
With Al Ittihad leading at 61 points and Al Hilal’s perfect season start long ended by Al Nassr’s 1-1 draw in November, this result could shift momentum. Ronaldo, who’d gone three games without scoring against Al Hilal earlier this season, silenced doubters—Stan Wawrinka’s “clean sport” jabs from February a distant memory after his doping ban lifted May 4. “Ronaldo’s back to bury the haters,” an X user posted, echoing sentiment as Al Nassr eyes a first league title since 2019.
The match, kicking off at 11:30 p.m. IST (9:00 p.m. local), was broadcast on Sony Sports Network and streamed via Shahid, per Sportstar. As Trump’s tariffs roil markets and Sinner preps for Rome, Ronaldo’s heroics offer Saudi football a headline of its own. With the scoreline at 2-0 as of 60 minutes—per live updates from @ArabNewsSport and @FotballInfo2—Al Nassr’s captain has once again proven why he remains the man for the big occasion.
