Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on the Saudi Pro League title after a goalkeeping error late in added time allowed Al Nasr to draw with Al Hilal.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nasr were denied their first Saudi Professional League title in seven years. (Image: Sky Sports)
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nasr were disastrously stripped of the Saudi Pro League title after Bent made a catastrophic mistake in deciding on the goalkeeper in the dying seconds of stoppage time. A victory over Al Hilal in the capital’s derby would ensure Ronaldo’s side won their first title since 2019, putting them out of reach of their title rivals.
Mohamed Simakan’s first-half goal gave Al Nasr the lead going into stoppage time, with Jorge Jesus’ side looking to end a seven-year trophy drought. Tensions boiled over on the touchline between the two teams in the frenetic final stages of the match.
A touchline brawl involving Al Hilal defender Theo Hernandez broke out, involving both benches and Jesus’ assistant coach was given his marching orders.
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At this stage, the hosts were in front and fired a long throw into the penalty area as Al Hilal looked to equalize. However, Bent lunged forward to knock the ball away with a punch, but completely misjudged it.
The Brazilian shot-stopper collided with his own defender and the ball ended up in the back of the goal in the 99th minute. The television cameras cut to Ronaldo, who had retired in the 83rd minute, on the substitute bench.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid icon could not hide his frustration as he ran down the tunnel after the final whistle. It means his quest to win the league in Saudi Arabia continues since joining the club in 2023.
A win would have given Al Nasr an unbeatable seven-point advantage at the summit, but the stalemate with Al Hilal leaves the visiting nation five points behind, despite still having a game in hand against the title challengers.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nasr were denied the Saudi Professional League title after the goalkeeper howled. (Image: 2026 Getty Images)
The race for the championship could be close if Al Nasr play Damak, while Al Hilal have a match against Neom this weekend before facing Al Faiha on the final day of the campaign.
Despite being frustrated by the late mistake, Ronaldo posted a message of encouragement on social media after the match. The Portuguese icon said: “The dream is getting closer. We need to be careful and take another step! Thank you for the great support tonight!”
Ronaldo is yet to bag Saudi Arabia’s most coveted accolade since his move to Al Nasr, with his lack of silverware attracting much attention. He was unable to outdo his former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema, who won the title with Al Ittihad 12 months ago.
This was the first opportunity for the two icons to play against each other since the French forward moved to Al Hilal. The transfer left Ronaldo off the tools in protest to the club’s owner, the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
The 41-year-old was reportedly unhappy with the club’s recruitment efforts compared to their first-class rivals who are backed by the same foundation.
Since his return, Ronaldo has led Al Nasr to 17 wins out of 19 games, scoring 26 goals in the Saudi Pro League in the process.
