Another trophyless season for Cristiano Ronaldo? Disappointing loss to Al Hilal dashes Al Nassr's title hopes
Cristiano Ronaldo is facing another trophyless season at Al Nassr after his team lost a crucial game to Al Hilal. With a one-goal lead squandered in dramatic fashion, Ronaldo's hopes of winning the league title seem to be fading away.
Cristiano Ronaldo is facing another trophyless season at Al Nassr after his team threw away a one-goal lead in their 3-1 loss to title rivals Al Hilal. The Portugal international put his side ahead shortly before half time but a second half to forget may have again ended their hopes of winning the league title. The former Real Madrid man is yet to win any major silverware since moving to the Middle East three years ago and now they are seven points behind Al Hilal after 14 games.Days after suffering a damaging home loss to Al Qadsiah, Nassr took on league leaders Al Hilal in a huge top-of-the-table clash. The visitors looked more likely to score in the first half, with Ronaldo's side fashioning six shots on goal to the hosts' one. After fashioning some decent chances from Kingsley Coman and Ronaldo, the 40-year-old bagged his 16th goal in all competitions with a clinical finish into the top corner after a neat assist from his French teammate in the 42nd minute. But all their good work in the first half was undone in a matter of minutes early in the second half. Firstly, Mohamed Simakan clumsily brought down Malcom in the box, and Salem Al Dawsari converted the subsequent spotkick in the 57th minute. Seconds later, Al Hilal's Ruben Neves was clutching his face, while writhing on the ground, after a coming together with goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi.After initially being given a yellow card, Al Aqidi's booking was upgraded to red for violent conduct following a VAR review, and for the final half hour, Al Nassr were down to 10 men. And their despair was complete when Mohamed Kanno fired in from close range with nine minutes remaining. To really rub salt into their gaping wound, Neves tucked home a penalty in the 92nd minute after Ali Al Hassan brought down Al Dawsari in the area. Al Nassr have now lost three games on the spin, with their last victory coming back on 27 December. While Al-Dawsari and Kanno got the goals for Hilal to complete the turnaround, Ruben Neves played a huge role in this victory. He got an assist for his team's second and, essentially, got Alaqidi sent off to rubber-stamp Al Nassr's collapse. For good measure, he scored from the spot himself at the death.Although Simakan and Al Hassan conceded penalties for Al Nassr, keeper Nawaf Al Aqidi was dismissed for a moment of madness. His reckless actions, on top of his questionable displays, may mean the league title is already out of reach for Ronaldo's side. Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Al Nassr's Title Dreams Shattered
Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al Nassr teammates experienced a devastating blow to their ambitions of clinching the Saudi Pro League title in a recent match against Al Hilal. Despite Ronaldo putting his side ahead with a clinical finish, the game took a turn for the worse in the second half.
VAR Drama and Red Card Woes
A series of unfortunate events unfolded for Al Nassr in the second half, starting with a penalty awarded to Al Hilal after a foul by Mohamed Simakan. The situation worsened when Al Nassr's goalkeeper, Nawaf Al Aqidi, was shown a red card for a moment of madness, leaving his team with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Ruben Neves: The Game Changer
Al Hilal's Ruben Neves played a pivotal role in his team's comeback, providing an assist, drawing the red card for Al Nassr's goalkeeper, and converting a penalty in the dying minutes of the game. His impact proved to be decisive in Al Nassr's downfall.
Title Hopes Fading
With the loss to Al Hilal marking their third consecutive defeat, Al Nassr's chances of lifting the league title are slipping away. The gap to the league leaders has widened, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates with a mountain to climb in their quest for silverware.


