Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed a major trophy for the first time since moving to Saudi Arabia after Al Nassr clinched the Saudi Pro League title.
A week after seeing one golden opportunity to win the trophy slip through the fingers of goalkeeper Bento in a draw against Al Hilal, they eventually got the job done on the final day of the season.
Ronaldo scored twice as they thrashed Damac 4-1 in Riyadh on Thursday night. It was the coronation of the Nassr captain, for whom trophies have been oddly elusive since his transformative switch to the Middle East at the end of 2022.
While the arrival of the Portugal great sparked a rush of superstar players to the SPL, he has had to watch on as others have shared the main prizes between themselves in the time since.
Not any longer, though. When it finally arrived, victory was sweet, with Ronaldo himself firing two second-half goals at a rowdy Al Awwal Park.
It is the eighth league title of Ronaldo’s career, and he has now won ones in England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia.
Nassr’s captain was central to proceedings from even before kick-off. As the home team had their huddle before the start, he implored his teammates to give all they had.
They knew their fate was in the own hands; if they beat Damac, the title was theirs. Anything less, and Hilal, their Riyadh neighbours, would overtake them with victory in their game at Al Fayha.
In the seventh minute, Ronaldo went down very easily in the box looking for a penalty. His appeal was rebuffed, and he was perhaps lucky not to be booked for diving. Almost simultaneously, news filtered through that Hilal took the lead in their game.
Even with 90 per cent of the game still to go, the tension seemed to be getting too much for the hosts.
At one point, Joao Felix stood in front of the Damac goalkeeper and counted off the time on his fingers, insinuating he was taking more than the permissible eight seconds.
One of the Nassr coaching staff was booked for remonstrating to the same effect. Jorge Jesus, the coach, was in his usual apoplectic rage.
There was a reason Damac were taking their time over things. They weren’t there solely as party poopers.
They were hovering on the relegation cut line, and the players reportedly were on an incentive of 150,000 riyals ($40,000) per man to win the game.
No matter how game the visitors were, it felt like a matter of time before their goal was breached. Sadio Mane and Felix each went close before they combined to break the deadlock.
The Senegal star found himself unmarked in the middle of the goal, and directed his header from Felix’s right-wing corner firmly into the corner of the net.
The response from the crowd was one of relief as much joy. With a precious lead, and such experienced players in their ranks, it should be a cruise from there.
They were even more comfortable when Kingsley Coman doubled their advantage in the second half. The Frenchman, who has been a serial trophy winner across his career, jinked in from the right and arrowed his shot into the corner.
Damac were given a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty in the 56th minute. It was an innocuous incident; no Damac players appealed when a header by Abdelkader Bedrane, their captain, was deflected away for another corner by Mohamed Simakan.
But VAR alerted the referee to the fact it had struck Simakan’s arm. Morlaye Sylla coolly slotted the penalty to halve the arrears.
While that briefly raised hopes of a comeback, it was the headline act who extinguished them.
Ronaldo’s first goal came via an unusual route. The veteran superstar has generally handed over free-kick duties to Felix, his young Portuguese protégé, in recent times, but he pulled rank to take one from the left side of the Damac box.
It was not obvious whether it was a cross or shot that he came up with. Typically, though, it turned to gold, somehow avoiding a touch from anyone and finding its way inside the far post.
That as good as clinched the win, and Ronaldo’s greatest moment of triumph followed. When he powered in Nassr’s fourth, he ran to the corner and collapsed on his back and accepted the adoration of the crowd.
As he emerged from the celebrations and headed back to halfway for the restart, he was in tears as his thrilled family were shown on the big screen.
He was given his curtain call as he was substituted with three minutes to go, and he kissed the badge of his shirt on his way off.
