Cristiano Ronaldo led Al-Nassr to the Saudi Pro League title in the final match before World Cup 2026. Ronaldo scored two goals in a 4-1 win over Damac, including a trademark free-kick that found the far corner and a close-range finish nine minutes from time. Al-Nassr took a 2-0 lead, but Damac pulled back to 2-1 before Ronaldo’s strike on 63 minutes. The victory gave Al-Nassr the points needed on the last night of the season, finishing two points ahead of Al Hilal. Ronaldo added the Saudi championship to his previous major club trophies and set up another World Cup appearance with Portugal.
"Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al-Nassr clinched the Saudi Pro League title with a 4-1 win over Damac, ending his long wait for domestic silverware. A trademark free-kick and a close-range finish, both in the final half-hour of Thursday's game, sealed the win Al-Nassr needed on the last night of the season, with Al Hilal finishing just two points behind."
"Al-Nassr took a 2-0 lead but were back to 2-1 before Ronaldo's free-kick on 63 minutes evaded the goalkeeper and a forest of legs to find the far corner. He struck again nine minutes from time, receiving a cut-back on the edge of the six-yard box and smashing high into the net."
"Ronaldo, 41, who was without a major club trophy since winning Serie A with Juventus in 2020, arrived in the oil-rich desert kingdom to great acclaim in 2023, wept as he watched the final minutes from the bench. He adds the Saudi championship to his English, Spanish and Italian titles and five Champions League medals."
"The stated aim was to turn the Pro League into one of the world's top five football competitions measured by the quality of players, stadium attendances and commercial success. International interest has been muted, however. In December 2024, Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of the 2034 World Cup, a coup as it pushes to decouple its economy from oil and attract business and tourists, partly via the buzz of sport."
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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