Ronaldo brace powers Al-Nassr to 3-1 victory over rivals Al-Hilal

Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved his class with a second-half brace, including a late penalty, to lead Al-Nassr to a thrilling 3-1 win over fierce rivals Al-Hilal, pushing his team to third place in the league standings.

The first half was largely uneventful, with few clear opportunities. Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran both saw efforts blocked, while Aiman Yahya forced a notable save from Yassine Bounou in the 43rd minute.

Just before the halftime whistle, the deadlock was broken in spectacular fashion. Ali Al Hassan produced a brilliant curling strike from the edge of the box, beating Bounou and handing Al-Nassr a 1-0 lead heading into the break.

Early in the second half, Al-Nassr doubled their advantage. Mane provided a smart cutback that found Ronaldo, who calmly slotted home with his left foot to make it 2-0.

Al-Hilal responded quickly through Ali Al Bulayhi, whose towering header brought them back into the contest at 2-1, setting up a nervy conclusion.

However, Ronaldo had the final say. As Al-Hilal pushed for an equalizer, Al-Nassr earned a penalty in the dying minutes.

The 40-year-old Portuguese icon stepped up and confidently sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, sealing the win and further solidifying Al-Nassr’s strong start to the 2025 campaign.