Al-Nassr produced a crushing second-half display to beat Damac 4-1, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice to finally win the Saudi Pro League title.
After a relatively uneventful first half, Al-Nassr pulled away after the break through goals from Kingsley Coman and Ronaldo, despite Damac briefly threatening a comeback.
The hosts dominated much of the contest and finally broke the deadlock in the 34th minute. Joao Felix delivered an inviting cross following a corner and Sadio Mane rose highest to power a header into the net for 1-0.
Al Nassr had already created several chances before the opener. Ronaldo headed over from close range, Mane was denied by goalkeeper Kewin, while Felix and Coman both tested the Damac defence during a lively first half.
Hosts pull away in second half
The home side carried that momentum into the second period and doubled their advantage seven minutes after the restart. Abdullah Al Khaibari fed Kingsley Coman outside the box and the French winger drilled a low left-footed effort into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Damac were handed a route back into the match shortly afterwards when VAR awarded a penalty for Mohamed Simakan’s handball inside the area.
Morlaye Sylla converted from the spot in the 58th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The Ronaldo show
But any hopes of a Damac comeback were quickly extinguished by Ronaldo.
First, the Portuguese forward restored Al-Nassr’s two-goal cushion with a superb free-kick in the 63rd minute, bending a low strike into the bottom-right corner from just outside the area.
Ronaldo then added his second and Al-Nassr’s fourth in the 81st minute. After smart attacking movement inside the penalty area, he finished from close range to put the contest to bed.
The result ends a long wait for Ronaldo, who was finally able to lift his first league title in Saudi Arabia.
