Furious Cristiano Ronaldo marches down tunnel after howler denies Al Nassr title as clash descends into chaos with fight

Cristiano Ronaldo was left stunned after Al Nassr spectacularly blew their chance to seal the Saudi Pro League title.

Al Nassr required a win against title rivals Al Hilal in the Capital Derby on Tuesday evening to secure their first top-flight title since 2019.

Leading 1-0 with just one minute of added time remaining, a comical own-goal from Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento handed Al Hilal an unlikely equaliser to keep the title race open.

Mohamed Simakan fired Ronaldo and co into a first-half lead and for long periods it looked as though Jorge Jesus’ side were set to end their seven-year title drought.

But Bento’s howler was one of two contentious moments in the dying seconds on a sweltering night in Riyadh.

At the start of stoppage-time, a touchline brawl ensued between the two sets of players as well as the benches following an altercation involving Al Hilal’s Theo Hernandez.

Jesus’ assistant was shown a red card in the melee as proceedings briefly got out of hand.

Once it had settled down, Al Hilal had the final say thanks to the most comical of errors.

A packed out Al Awwal Park fell silent as cameras immediately panned in on Ronaldo who had been substituted in the 83rd minute.

The Portuguese cut a dejected figure as he marched down the tunnel shortly after the final whistle went with the wait to end his domestic trophy drought set to continue for another couple of weeks.

Al Nassr’s devesated players fell to the ground after the final whistle with Ronaldo seen shaking his head in disbelief from the dugout.

A win would have given Al Nassr an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the table with just one game remaining, and two remaining for Al Hilal.

Instead, the draw means Al Hilal now sit five points adrift of the leaders with a game in hand.

It could all come down to a final day showdown on when Al Nassr face struggling Damac on May 21, knowing a victory would hand them the title.

Title celebrations on ice

Title success would represent Ronaldo’s biggest achievement since his 2023 transfer.

Much has been made of Ronaldo’s failure to land Saudi Arabian football’s most prized trophy despite his impact and sizeable salary.

Ronaldo was unable to get the better of former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema on Tuesday, a title winner 12 months ago with Al Ittihad.

It was the first time the pair had come head to head since Benzema’s move to Al Hilal in February.

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It was a move that saw Ronaldo go on strike in protest at the club’s owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The 41-year-old forward was reportedly unhappy with how the PIF managed Al Nassr’s transfer window compared to the treatment given to rival clubs Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli, which are owned by the same fund.

Ronaldo eventually returned to action and inspired his side in the title race having netted 26 Saudi Pro League goals in the process.

But Ronaldo also had his teammates to thank as established stars including Joao Félix, Marcelo Brozovic, Sadio Mane and more recently, Kingsley Coman, all contributed to a superb late season. winning run.

Al Nassr have registered 17 wins from their last 19 league games stretching back to January – the only blemish on their record coming last weekend in a 3-1 defeat to Al Qadsiah.

And there could be further success to come for the Riyadh-based outfit.

Attention now turns to Saturday’s AFC Champions League Two final against Japan’s Gamba Osaka on Saturday.

Victory could put Al Nassr on their way a historic double in what would be the crowning moment in Ronaldo’s money-spinning spell in Saudi Arabia.