Al Nassr continued their superb start to the Saudi Pro League season as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane teamed up to deliver a significant win on Friday.
Goals from SPL superstar Ronaldo and Mane spurred Al Nassr to a 2-0 victory over Al Ittihad, lifting the Riyadh club three points clear of the champions on top of the standings.
Mane opened the scoring and then provided the assist to Ronaldo as the Portuguese striker made it 2-0 in the 35th minute.
Al Nassr maintained their perfect start to the season with their fourth consecutive league victory. They lead the table with 12 points. Al Ittihad dropped to second after suffering their first defeat of the season.
Mane broke the deadlock just nine minutes into the match as he fired a first-time shot into the net.
Twenty six minutes later, Mane sent in a cross that Ronaldo headed in from close range past goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
The goal was Ronaldo’s fourth in the league this season, placing him second in the scoring charts, just one goal behind teammate and fellow Portuguese Joao Felix, who missed several chances during the match.
Al Ittihad, meanwhile, struggled for much of the game, managing only two shots on target. They showed signs of life late in the second half but failed to break past Brazilian goalkeeper Bento.
After the match, Ronaldo, who took his career goals tally to 946, celebrated the win on social media.
“This is Al Nassr! This is who we are!” he posted on X.
Ronaldo's former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand lauded a clinical performance from the Portuguese great.
“It was businesslike”, Ferdinand, also a commentator for league broadcaster Thmanyah, who quoted as saying by the Saudi Pro League website.
“I said to him, ‘You look like you could win the league this year’,” Ferdinand added. “But he said, ‘Hey, one game at a time'.”
Al Nassr manager Jorge Jesus was pleased with the result against a top side like Al Ittihad, but admitted his side spurned a few chances.
"A good victory against the title holders. We were better today. We scored two goals but missed many chances, and it could have been a big result. The most important thing is to return from Jeddah with the three points," Jesus said.
"[However] the most important thing is to talk about our victory, not about the number of attacks we missed. All teams are improving. Al Ittihad have been working steadily for two seasons. Everyone is improving in the league, and Al Nassr is one of them."
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
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When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
