Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr will have to postpone their celebration of the Saudi Pro League trophy after a disastrous late equalizer from Al Hilal at Al-Awwal Park ended the match in a 1-1 draw.
Al Nassr seemed poised to secure the championship with a 1-0 lead late in stoppage time, thanks to a first-half goal from Mohamed Simakan. However, a critical mistake by the hosts’ goalkeeper, Bento, allowed a throw-in to slip through his fingers and into the net.
The draw leaves Al Nassr with 83 points, maintaining a five-point lead over Al Hilal, who have a game in hand. Jorge Jesus’ team can secure the title with a victory over Damac on May 20, or if Al Hilal fails to win against Neom on May 16.
Al Nassr also has an opportunity to win their first trophy since Ronaldo joined when they compete in the Asian Champions League Two final against Gamba Osaka on May 16.
Ronaldo was substituted in the 83rd minute, rallying the home crowd as he left the pitch for Abdullah Al-Hamdan. He sat in distress on the bench after Bento’s blunder dashed Ronaldo’s hopes for his first trophy in Saudi Arabia since his arrival in January 2023.
Thus far, Ronaldo and Al Nassr’s journey to the top has included a remarkable 20-game winning streak across all competitions, along with Ronaldo netting 26 goals in 33 SPL matches.
Ronaldo is set to represent Portugal at the upcoming FIFA World Cup this summer, and he currently has 971 total career goals as he aims to reach the 1,000 milestone. Since joining Al Nassr, he has scored 127 goals across all competitions.
Information from ESPN Global Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.