RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo claimed a first major trophy with Al Nassr after scoring twice in a 4-1 win over Damac which secured the Saudi Pro League title.
Having missed the chance to wrap up the domestic championship following a stoppage-time blunder from Brazil keeper Bento which resulted in a 1-1 draw with closest rival Al Hilal, Al Nassr then slipped to a shock home defeat by Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final last weekend.
Jorge Jesus' side, though, eventually got the job done against strugglers Damac at the King Saud University Stadium, with the Riyadh club becoming Saudi champions for the 11th time — and first title since 2019.
Sadio Mane gave Al Nassr the lead in the 35th minute when he headed in from a corner. Kingsley Coman made it 2-0 early in the second half, cutting inside from the right to fire in a low shot from the edge of the box, before Morlaye Sylla reduced the deficit with a 58th-minute penalty, given after a VAR review for handball.
Ronaldo, though, made sure there would be no late drama when he curled an angled free-kick into the far corner from outside the penalty area on the left. The 41-year-old Portugal forward — set to play at his sixth World Cup this summer — added a fourth with eight minutes left, drilling in a cutback from Nawaf Boushal, to take his season club tally to 30 goals in all competitions.
Al Nassr finished two points ahead of Al Hilal, who beat Al Fayha 1-0 in their final match, while Damac were relegated. Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in December 2022 after he left Manchester United and was delighted to have finally secured a major domestic honour with the Saudi club to add to his collection from a glittering career in Europe. "It means so much to us. Yalla Nassr," Ronaldo wrote in a post on his official X account accompanying a video of him lifting the league trophy with the squad. — dpa
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