Ronaldo Scores as Al-Nassr Maintain Perfect Saudi Pro League Start

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal as Al-Nassr came from behind to beat Al-Taawoun 2-1 on Friday and maintain their perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season.

The reigning champions have won all four of their matches and sit at the top of the table with 12 points. Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal moved into second place on nine points after securing a convincing 5-1 victory away to Al-Khaleej.

Al-Nassr were again forced to fight back after falling behind early. Al-Taawoun took the lead in the 11th minute when Bassam Al-Hurayji reacted quickest after goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi pushed a Mohammed Al-Aqel effort onto the crossbar. Al-Hurayji followed up from close range to silence the home crowd.

The hosts eventually found an equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Sadio Mane laid the ball off to Samu Costa, who struck a first-time effort from outside the penalty area that flew beyond Al-Taawoun goalkeeper Mailson.

Al-Nassr completed the turnaround five minutes into the second half. Mohammed Simakan’s shot appeared to be heading into the net before Ronaldo got the final touch from close range, diverting the ball into the roof of the goal.

The result marked another comeback for Ange Postecoglou’s side. Al-Nassr had also recovered from a two-goal deficit earlier in the week to defeat Al-Ettifaq 3-2 despite playing with 10 men.

Al-Hilal had a much more comfortable evening in Dammam. Mohammed Meite opened the scoring after 15 minutes with a glancing header, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic doubled the advantage shortly before the half-hour mark.

Al-Khaleej briefly reduced the deficit when Saleh Al-Amri scored in the 38th minute, but Al-Hilal responded immediately. Theo Hernandez restored the two-goal lead two minutes later with a left-footed finish.

Crysencio Summerville then produced an impressive individual run between two defenders to score his first league goal for Al-Hilal since joining from West Ham during the summer. Sultan Mandash added a fifth in stoppage time to complete a dominant first half.

The pace slowed after the break in the intense heat, with Al-Khaleej missing a penalty through Musa Barrow in the 67th minute. Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi was able to make several substitutions with his side holding a comfortable advantage.

Elsewhere, Al-Riyadh defeated Neom 1-0 through Teddy Okou’s goal shortly after the hour mark. The victory moved Al-Riyadh to 12th with four points, while Neom remained seventh on six points.

Al-Fayha also recorded their first win of the campaign, beating bottom club Abha 3-2 at home. The result lifted Al-Fayha to 11th place after collecting four points from their opening four matches.