Ronaldo scores twice in Al-Nassr win

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals as Al-Nassr defeated Damac 2-0 and kept alive their Saudi Pro League title challenge on Friday.

The Portuguese star has yet to win a major trophy since arriving in Riyadh in 2022. He struck once in each half to ensure Al-Nassr stayed third, five points behind leader Al-Ittihad. Defending champion Al-Hilal was second.

Just over a third of the season has been played.

In the 16th minute, Ronaldo fired home from the penalty spot after Abdelkader Bedrane handled in the area.

The Algerian defender completed a miserable evening early in the second half when he was red-carded for a dangerous tackle.

With 10 minutes remaining, Ronaldo netted from close range to seal the victory. The strike moved him into second place in the league goal-scoring standings with nine, one above Karim Benzema of Al-Ittihad and three behind Aleksandar Mitrovic of Al-Hilal.

Elsewhere, Al-Qadsia stayed fourth, level on points with Al-Nassr, after beating Al-Khaleej 1-0.