Cristiano Ronaldo hit two goals on the night of a personal landmark as Al-Nassr beat Al-Najma 5-2 in the Saudi Pro League, a result that moved Al-Nassr six points clear of Al-Hilal before Al-Hilal’s meeting with Al-Taawon and underlined Ronaldo’s influence in the title race.

This match marked Ronaldo’s 100th Saudi Pro League appearance, and the 41-year-old delivered again in the second half with a penalty and a composed finish after a low cross, while Sadio Mane also scored twice, giving Jorge Jesus’ team a vital cushion at the top of the table.

Although Al-Nassr dominated early play at Al-Awwal Park and created several clear openings, Al-Najma struck first in the 44th minute when Felippe Cardoso used strength and control on a counter-attack, shielding the ball before laying it off for Rakan Al Tulayhi, who drilled a powerful finish from the edge of the penalty area.

Al-Nassr responded quickly and went into the break ahead, as Abdullah Al Hamddan levelled when Abdulelah Al Amri flicked Marcelo Brozovic’s back-post cross into Al Hamddan’s path, then Mane changed the mood deep into first-half stoppage time by slaloming past three defenders before driving a fierce shot into the top-right corner.

Al-Najma struck again soon after the restart, with Cardoso curling into the net from David Tijanic’s cut-back to make it 2-2, yet Al-Nassr answered through a Ronaldo spot-kick after Abdullah Al Hawsawi was penalised for handball, and later VAR overturned an offside flag to confirm Ronaldo’s second from Nawaf Bu Washl’s low delivery.

Mane added Al-Nassr’s fifth in the 95th minute, arriving in the box to tap home from a precise cross by Salem Al Najdi, which sealed what appeared a comfortable result on the scoreboard, while elsewhere in the Saudi Pro League, 10-man Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Hazem 1-0 thanks to a second-half strike from Abdulrahman Al Oboud after Moussa Diaby’s 34th-minute red card.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr numbers and Saudi Pro League context

Performance data underlined Al-Nassr’s control, as the hosts generated 3.97 expected goals from 24 shots compared with Al-Najma’s 0.8 from six attempts, and Ronaldo alone produced 1.68 xG, registered eight shots, and created four big chances, while reaching 97 goals in 100 league games, 39 more than Abderrazzaq Hamed-Allah’s 58 during the same span.

This victory strengthened Al-Nassr’s lead in the Saudi Pro League and highlighted Ronaldo’s sustained output at 41 years old, with Mane’s brace, Cardoso’s contributions for Al-Najma, and Al-Ittihad’s narrow win over Al-Hazem also shaping the league picture heading into Al-Hilal’s clash with Al-Taawon.