Cristiano Ronaldo once again showcased his immense value, as the 40-year-old captain led Al Nassr to a comfortable 2-0 victory at bottom-dwelling Al Wehda, keeping alive his side's slim hopes of clinching the Saudi Pro League title.
The first half was largely uneventful, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut scoring opportunities. The breakthrough came just three minutes into the second half, when substitute Angelo's perfectly-placed cross found Ronaldo, who headed in his 17th league goal of the season.
In response, Al Wehda ramped up their attacking efforts, making several forays into the visiting side's half of the pitch. Striker Morad Khodari had a golden chance to equalize just before the hour mark, but his effort from close range clipped the post and went off target.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Ronaldo's free-kick struck Al Wehda's Juninho Bacuna on the arm inside the penalty area. After a VAR review, the referee awarded Al Nassr a penalty, ruling that Bacuna's arm was in an unnatural position. Ronaldo, typically the designated penalty taker, allowed Sadio Mane to step to the spot instead. The former Liverpool star converted the penalty, sealing the 2-0 win for Al Nassr.
With this victory, Al Nassr climbed to third place in the Saudi Pro League table, eight points adrift of the top spot with 12 matches to go, while Al Wehda remained rooted to the bottom.
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Cristiano Ronaldo shines as Al Nassr secure routine win over Al Wehda
cgtn.com
