Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr handed Saudi Pro League title boost as Karim Benzema injured | OneFootball

Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League push has gathered pace, with Cristiano Ronaldo prolific and rivals faltering. Their cause is furthered by Al-Hilal striker Karim Benzema being sidelined with an adductor injury.

Al-Hilal said in a statement that tests confirmed the problem, adding he needs 10 to 15 days of rehabilitation before returning to group work. Simone Inzaghi faces a leadership test as his side drop to third after successive stalemates.

Following brief internal friction and a team boycott, Ronaldo returned and scored in three straight matches. His penalty against Al-Najma completed a 5-0 win that lifted Al-Nassr back to first, two points ahead of Al-Ahli.

Grievances over transfer backing appear to have eased. Al-Nassr sit on 58 points from 23 games with only one league defeat, strengthening their title charge.

Benzema’s adductor issues are recurrent, with four episodes at Real Madrid. Since moving to the Saudi League he has had four separate injury spells, including a three-month absence, missing 14 official matches across the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons.

Ronaldo is closing on the 100-goal club, his 21st of the campaign taking him to 95 league goals, five shy of joining a group of only four players. He is fifth on the all-time scorers’ list, chasing Omar Al-Somah and Abderrazak Hamdallah.

Across his career he has 965 goals, needing 35 more to reach 1,000 as Al-Nassr pursue silverware.

Source: Goal.com