Al Nassr vs Al Kholood live: Ronaldo scores early in Saudi Pro League clash
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Cristiano Ronaldo started and scored in the 9th minute for Al Nassr tonight.
- Julien Domingues hit back for Al Kholood in the 17th minute, so the score stood at 1-1 after 20 minutes.
- Al Nassr are defending champions and sit two points behind league leaders Al Hilal.
Al Nassr are hosting Al Kholood tonight at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. Cristiano Ronaldo is playing, and he gave his team an early lead. It is a Saudi Pro League match, and it matters in the title race.
Thousands of people are searching for the score and team news right now.
What happened
The match kicked off at 9pm Saudi time. Ronaldo struck first. His goal came in the 9th minute and put Al Nassr ahead, according to the VAVEL live blog.
Al Nassr thought they had a second goal in the 12th minute. The referee disallowed it. The reason for the call was not clear from the live updates.
Then Al Kholood answered back. Julien Domingues scored in the 17th minute. The score became 1-1. An Al Nassr player picked up a yellow card in the 20th minute.
Ronaldo started the match as expected. Before the game, Athlon Sports reported he would likely line up in the attack. He was joined by Sadio Mane, Joao Felix and Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
The predicted starting lineup for Al Nassr was Bento in goal. Nawaf Boushal, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Inigo Martinez and Awad Aman were the defenders. The midfield had Sadio Mane, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Samu Costa and Joao Felix.
Ronaldo and Al-Hamdan led the attack.
Al Kholood arrived in Riyadh with a predicted lineup of their own. Hamed Al-Shanqity was the goalkeeper. The defense was Ramzi Solan, Shaquille Pinas, Mansour Camara and Sultan Al-Shehri.
Domingues started in attack with Coba da Costa and Guga, per the same preview.
On the injury front, Sultan Al-Ghannam missed the game. He is recovering from a cruciate ligament injury, which is a knee injury. Mohamed Simakan and Kingsley Coman were listed as doubts for the hosts.
Why it matters
Al Nassr are the defending champions. They are chasing another league title. They have now won four straight games in all competitions, according to Athlon Sports.
The title race is tight. Al Hilal lead the league by two points. Both teams have played 10 matches.
A win tonight would keep Al Nassr level with their city rivals.
Their manager is Ange Postecoglou. He took the job in the summer. Before the international break, he was under pressure over his team's form, The National reported.
Wins since the break have calmed the situation.
Ronaldo's week has been unusual. He left the Portugal national team squad before the break. The National reported that Portugal fined him 255 euros and gave him a 30-day suspension.
The paper noted the punishment was not enough to rule him out of any real matches. So he was free to play tonight.
The team also got a surprise rest before this match. Their AFC Champions League game on Monday was postponed. Al Wasl did not travel from Dubai.
That gave Postecoglou's players extra days to recover. Without that break, they would have played three games in six days.
Al Kholood came into the night in bad shape. They had lost four league games in a row. They had conceded 13 goals in that run.
That is more than three goals per game. A point in Riyadh would be a big result for them.
This is why people are searching for the match. Ronaldo is back in the team and scoring. The title race is close.
And the early goals made the game lively from the start.
What happens next
The match is still in play as this article was written. A win for Al Nassr would keep the pressure on Al Hilal. A draw or a shock win for Al Kholood would be a setback for the champions.
The result also affects Al Hilal's weekend. They play Al Fateh on Saturday night. The National reported they lead by two points after both sides played 10 matches.
If Al Nassr win tonight, Al Hilal cannot afford a slip.
Al Hilal have not looked perfect lately. They went unbeaten through all of last season in the league. They still finished second.
Last month, Neom beat them at home and ended that long unbeaten run. On Tuesday, they lost again in the Champions League. Qatari side Al Shamal beat them, inspired by former Ahli star Riyad Mahrez.
For Al Nassr, the schedule will get busy later in the season. The postponed Champions League match must be played at some point. The National noted one league game has already been rescheduled.
The fixtures will pile up in the second half of the campaign.
Ronaldo will keep hunting goals. He is building toward his 1000th career goal, a target covered in earlier reports. Every start and every goal moves him closer.
Al Kholood will fight to end their losing run. Tonight's quick reply showed they did not come to Riyadh just to defend. Domingues's goal was their first small win of the night.
The picture for tonight
Al Nassr walked into this game as big favorites. The form guide said so. Four straight wins against four straight losses.
Home against a struggling visitor. The champions chasing the leaders.
But football rarely follows the script. Ronaldo's early goal looked like the start of a comfortable night. The disallowed goal and Domingues's equalizer changed the mood.
At 1-1 after 20 minutes, the game was wide open.
For fans searching for updates, the key facts are simple. Ronaldo is playing. He scored early.
Al Kholood answered. The title race stays tight whatever happens next.
More on the title race: read our earlier explainer on [Al Nassr's 3-1 win over Al Faisaly](/sports/al-faisaly-vs-al-nassr-ronaldo-lineup/) and our report on [the postponed Champions League match against Al Wasl](/sports/al-nassr-al-wasl-postponed-riyadh/).
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