RIYADH — Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo reaffirmed his dominance in the Saudi Professional League, leading his team, Al Nassr, to another victory, this time with a 3-0 triumph over Al Okhdood. Ronaldo scored a brace within four minutes, confirming Al Nassr's rightful claim to the points in the match held at the Al Awwal Park as part of the 14th round of the Saudi Professional League. Al Nassr closed in on their traditional rival, Al-Hilal, who tops the standings, narrowing the points gap to just one, with the latter having a pending match against Al Hazem in the same round. Al Nassr now holds 34 points compared to Al Hilal's 35. Al Nassr faced little difficulty in overcoming their guest, Al Okhdood, after taking an early lead with a goal by Sami Al Najai in the 13th minute from a perfect cross by Sultan Al Ghanam. The Portuguese star Ronaldo began his scoring spree in the 77th minute, adding the third goal for his team and the second for himself with a remarkable shot sent high from almost the opponent's midfield to find the net. With this brace, Ronaldo raised his goal tally to 15, leading the rankings with a five-goal difference from his closest competitor, Serbian Mitrovic, the striker for Al Hilal. Portuguese coach Luis Castro of Al-Nassr chose to rest several players, including Senegalese Sadio Mane, who remained on the bench, and Croatian Marcelo Brozovic, who played as a substitute in the second half. With this loss, Al Okhdood remained at their previous points total of 10, continuing their presence in the lower positions of the standings.
