Ronaldo back with a bang
Cristiano Ronaldo marked his return from injury in typical fashion – his two goals in a 5-2 win over Al Najmah maintained Al Nassr's position at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
It was the prolific Portuguese's 100th game in the Saudi top flight but also his first competitive action in well over a month, after he picked up a hamstring injury against Al Fahya on February 28.
That date will be better remembered as the day the US and Israel launched a joint operation to attack Iran. In retaliation, Iran began firing missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours, including Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo was permitted by his club to seek treatment in Spain. Some observers questioned whether it was a way for Ronaldo to save face and escape the conflict.
In the interim, he was omitted from the Portugal squad for their recent friendlies, but teamed up with fellow superstars Lionel Messi, Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe to launch a Lego collection and World Cup advert.
The fact that he is back in the kingdom – despite the continuing hostilities of Tehran – should silence those who have questioned his priorities.
Not that Nassr were found wanting without their talisman. Thanks to the international break, Ronaldo, 41, only missed two games for Jorge Jesus' side, both ending in wins.
Joao Felix has more than filled the void in Ronaldo's absence, consistently putting in the kind of performances that make him one of the front-runners to be named the league's best player come season's end.
But having Ronaldo back will do no harm to Nassr's title hopes. The Riyadh giants have not won the Saudi championship since 2019. With only seven games remaining, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus attacker is on course to finally win significant silverware in Saudi.
Next up for the league leaders is a trip to Al Okhdood. With Nassr's rivals all in action in midweek, they could see their five-point lead cut by the time they kick off on Saturday evening. Another victory in that game will be Nassr's 14th in a row in the league.
Mendy defiant at the back for Al Ahli
Al Ahli got back on the title trail with a confidence-boosting 3-0 win over Damac.
It followed a damaging defeat to Al Qadsiah just before the international break, allowing Nassr to take a firm grip on the title race.
The game was effectively over inside six minutes as Ahli raced into a 2-0 lead courtesy of an own goal and an Ivan Toney finish – his 26th in the league this campaign.
For goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, the performance proved that, despite the Qadsiah setback, Matthias Jaissle's side retain belief they can end their decade-long wait for a title.
“Now it's the final sprint, so we knew we had to take the points because we dropped some in Al Qadsiah for the first time for a while. So we knew that today was very important for the three points,” he told the Pro League website.
“You can see the way we started was very good with a lot of intensity, a lot of good combinations with the ball. Also, without the ball, we pressed them high. We dominated the whole game.
“And you can see we have a lot of injuries, but we're still fighting. We stick together and you can see, no matter who plays, we perform. This is the most important.”
The Senegal international, 34, has kept 12 clean sheets this campaign, two more than Al Nassr’s Bento, his closest challenger in the battle for the 2025/26 Golden Glove.
“Yeah, it's good. It's good for the team; it's good for myself, obviously,” Mendy said on his latest shutout.
“We know that if we don't concede, we have a higher chance to win the game. So for us, it's really important to not concede goals, to keep the goal closed. So [doing so against Damac] is good – and we have to just keep on going.”
Ahli take on Al Fayha in the first match of midweek fixtures on Wednesday with a chance to cut Nassr's lead at the top.
With Mendy and Co in determined mood, Nassr can expect the chase to go down to the wire.
French flair, Moroccan magic
For those who love a headed goal, you won't find many better than Moussa Dembele's belter against Al Qadsiah.
With the game finely poised at 1-1, the French striker attacked a beautiful hanging ball into the Qadsiah area, sending the resulting header whizzing past Koen Casteels from around 12 yards.
The power generated was impressive, and sent Ettifaq on their way to a 3-2 victory in the Eastern Derby, damaging their opponent's title hopes in the process.
If you're more about the virtuoso, check out Abderrazak Hamdallah's effort against Al Riyadh.
Quick thinking from a throw-in saw the veteran striker carry the ball into the Riyadh area before some fleet-footed magic presented Hamdallah with a chance to beat the goalkeeper.
Though his initial effort was well saved, the Moroccan was on hand to smash home the rebound.
