Ronaldo opens his account with Al-Nassr... and Al-Ittihad defeats Al-Qadsiah

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo opened his scoring account for title-holding Al-Nassr in their emphatic 4-0 victory over hosts Al-Riyadh at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium, in the second round of the Saudi Pro League.

The substitute Ronaldo, who came on in the 62nd minute for his first appearance in an Al-Nassr shirt this season, capped off his team’s scoring spree in the 83rd minute, after the title-holders had taken a three-goal lead through goals by Abdulilah Al-Amri (18th minute), Brazilian Angelo Gabriel (45+1), and fellow Portuguese Joao Felix (58th minute).

Al-Nassr, who secured their second consecutive win, moved to six points at the top of the table, ahead on goal difference over Al-Hilal, who beat Al-Fayha 3-0 in the round’s opening match on Thursday, and Neom, who defeated Al-Faisaly 2-0. Al-Riyadh remained winless.

Neom inflicted a second defeat on hosts Al-Faisaly with a 2-0 win, with both goals scored by French striker Alexandre Lacazette (51st and 60th minutes).

Al-Ittihad claimed three valuable points in a thrilling match, edging out hosts Al-Qadsiah 1-0 thanks to a solitary goal from Nigerian striker George Ilenikhena (45+1) at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam. The match saw the participation of new signing Dutch midfielder Tjaronn Chery, who came on as a substitute in the 57th minute.

With this result, Al-Ittihad moved to four points in fourth place, while Al-Qadsiah remained on their previous tally of three points.

Al-Diriyah recorded their first win, beating Al-Hazem 1-0, with Abdulilah Al-Maliki scoring in the third minute.

Al-Diriyah moved to three points, climbing to eighth place, while Al-Hazem stayed on three points in seventh place.