Al Nassr tightened their grip on the Saudi Pro League title race on Thursday, defeating Al Shabab 4-2. The victory was fuelled by a clinical hat-trick from João Félix and a historic milestone for Cristiano Ronaldo, extending Al Nassr’s lead to five points over rivals Al Hilal.
Match Highlights
The match began with an offensive blitz from the visitors. Within the opening 10 minutes, João Félix found the net twice to give Al Nassr a commanding early lead. However, Al Shabab refused to fold, as Yannick Carrasco scored late in the first half to bring the score to 2-1 heading into the interval.
The second half saw Al Nassr’s veteran leader make history:
The Milestone: At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post in the 75th minute.
The Numbers: This marked Ronaldo’s 100th goal in Saudi Arabia and the 971st goal of his professional career.
Season Form: It was his 26th league goal of the campaign, bringing his total tally for Al Nassr to 127 goals across all competitions.
Despite a late scare from Al Shabab’s Ali Al-Bulayhi, which cut the lead to one, Félix maintained his composure to complete his hat-trick from the penalty spot, sealing the 4-2 win.