Ronaldo Returns With A Goal As Al-Nassr Defeat Al-Fateh To Move Second In The Saudi Pro League

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Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Al-Nassr’s line-up with a goal and a win, guiding a 2-0 victory over Al-Fateh that lifted the side into second place in the Saudi Pro League and extended their league winning streak to six matches.

The Portugal captain had missed two league fixtures after a protest over Al-Nassr’s lack of transfer activity, yet Ronaldo quickly rejoined the rhythm of competition, striking after 18 minutes and moving closer to a historic scoring landmark while reinforcing the team’s title challenge.

Ronaldo’s composed finish against Al-Fateh was his 18th league goal of the current Saudi Pro League season and raised his career tally to 962 goals, leaving Ronaldo 38 short of the 1,000-goal mark, a target that continues to draw attention across world football.

While Al-Nassr’s attack took the headlines, the defensive unit also maintained strong form, as this 2-0 result delivered a fifth consecutive clean sheet in league play, their best sequence since a six-match run without conceding between October 2014 and February 2015.

Al-Nassr held a narrow edge in attacking numbers, registering 14 shots compared with Al-Fateh’s 10 attempts, and the visitors outperformed their expected goals figure of 1.3, making the most of limited clear openings in a match that often felt controlled rather than open.

Al-Nassr started aggressively, and Ronaldo almost scored inside the first minute, dragging a shot wide after only 34 seconds, while Kingsley Coman also missed from close range soon after, signalling an intent to attack Al-Fateh’s defence from the opening whistle.

The breakthrough arrived when Sadio Mane, who had carried much of the scoring burden during Ronaldo’s two-game absence, bent a low cross from the left, and Ronaldo met it first time, beating goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco with a precise strike after 18 minutes.

Al-Fateh responded with pressure later in the first half as Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, Mourad Batna and Jorge Fernandes each forced saves from Bento, yet none of those efforts produced an equaliser, keeping Al-Nassr narrowly in front heading into the closing stages.

There was further drama when a low drive from Mohamed Simakan, following a half-cleared corner by Marcelo Brozovic, found the net, but a prolonged VAR review ruled the attempt out for offside in the build-up, denying Al-Nassr what would have been an earlier second goal.

The decisive cushion eventually came in the 78th minute as Alman Yahya controlled a cross from Coman, then unleashed a fierce shot that flew beyond Pacheco, sealing the result and ensuring Al-Nassr’s strong domestic run continued with Ronaldo firmly back at the centre of their attack.

By combining Ronaldo’s quick impact, contributions from Mane, Coman and Alman Yahya, and a defence that extended a notable clean-sheet sequence, Al-Nassr strengthened second place in the Saudi Pro League and underlined momentum during a busy stage of the season.