Cristiano Ronaldo put a frustrating week behind him by firing Al Nassr to a 2-1 victory over Al Shabab as the Riyadh derby ended amid astonishing penalty drama.
Ronaldo marched off the pitch at Hampden Park in a fury as Portugal were held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland in the UEFA Nations League but his return to domestic action brought a far more satisfying conclusion for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Al Nassr led courtesy of an excellent Aymeric Laporte strike midway through the second half as they looked to make it six wins out of six in all competitions since former AC Milan boss Pioli replaced Luis Castro last month.
Ali Alhassan’s 90th-minute own goal marked the first time Al Nassr have conceded a Saudi Pro League goal during the Italian’s reign and it looked certain that they would lose further ground to the mighty Al Hilal at the top of the table.
As it happened, an implausible denouement was only just getting started. Al Nassr substitute Abdulrahman Ghareeb was brought down by a groping challenge from Brazilian defender Robert Renan and the referee pointed to the spot.
Ronaldo faced a long wait as some of the opposition tried to scuff up the penalty spot. Remaining above the fray, he steered a nerveless strike into the bottom right corner, sending Kim Seung-gyu the wrong way.
🚨🚨| GOAL: CRISTIANO RONALDO GIVES AL NASSR THE LEAD IN THE LAST MINUTE OF THE GAME!!!
Al Shabab 1-2 Al Nassr
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals)
October 18, 2024
There was a further twist as Mohamed Simakan clumsily brought down Nader Al-Sharari at an Al Shabab corner. After a lengthy VAR review, a penalty was awarded and Simakan — booked for his part in the penalty spot snafu a few moments earlier — was sent off.
Up stepped former Al Nassr hero Abderrazak Hamdallah who, with effectively the last kick of the game, chipped his penalty against the post.
Al Nassr are four points behind Al Hilal at the summit, the reigning champions having won seven out of seven in 2024/25. Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad will replace them in second if they beat Al Qadisiyah on Saturday.