Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 14th goal of the Saudi Pro League season as Al Nassr beat Al Fateh 3-1 to reclaim third spot in the table and close the gap on the top two.
Ronaldo, who converted Sadio Mane's pass in the 87th minute to put the result beyond doubt, celebrated in trademark fashion and then declared via his Instagram account: “We’re not stopping.”
The win closed the gap on second-placed Al Ittihad and leaders Al Hilal to eight points, with the top two in action on Monday night. Al Nassr's primary concern will be locking down third place and the final Asian Champions League spot.
They took the lead on Sunday after 41 minutes when Marwana Saadane of Al Fateh put through his own goal. Mohamed Simakan then doubled Nassr's advantage in the 57th minute with a well-placed header.
Al Fateh got back into the game when Mourad Batna struck from the edge of the box on 72 minutes after a blunder from Nassr keeper Bento.
But Ronaldo, who had earlier seen a first-half effort disallowed, secured the three points when he fired home from close range. There was still time for VAR to deny him a second, though, after he had crashed home from a narrow angle.
Ronaldo remains in contract talks with Nassr, with the club reported to be ready to hand the Portuguese star a lucrative extension. His current deal expires in the summer. The Riyadh club have also been linked with a move for his former Real Madrid teammate Casemiro, currently out of favour at Manchester United, ahead of Thursday night's SPL transfer deadline.
Elsewhere, Al Ahli put Al Riyadh to the sword in Jeddah with an emphatic 5-0 victory at King Abdullah Sports City on Sunday night.
Al Ahli, who sit fifth in the table, also have aspirations of a top-three finish and have their sizeable former Premier League cohort to thank for this latest victory.
Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney fired them ahead as he chested down a ball over the top and shot past the keeper for a smart finish – his sixth goal in 14 games since moving to the kingdom.
Ziyad Aljohani doubled the lead on the hour as he headed the second after Al Riyadh failed to clear a corner. The floodgates opened as Roberto Firmino scored the third from close range just moments later.
Toney tucked home the fourth from the penalty spot before Riyad Mahrez completed the rout with the pick of the goals – a spectacular finish from outside the box.
Also on Sunday night, 10-man Al Taawoun were held at home by relegation-threatened Al Orobah and Al Khaleej moved up to seventh with a 2-1 victory over Al Okhdood.
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Translated by Paul McCarthy
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SPECS
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Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
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Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
