'Keep feet on ground' - Ronaldo inspires 5-star Al Nassr to go top | OneFootball

Al Nassr are back in pole position in the Roshn Saudi League after Cristiano Ronaldo and Inigo Martinez guided them to a 5-0 victory at Al Najmah.

The Riyadh club, eying a first top-flight title since 2019, blew away the RSL’s bottom club on Wednesday to rack up an eighth consecutive league victory and leapfrog Al Ahli at the summit.

With 11 rounds remaining, Al Nassr led the championship by two points from their Jeddah rivals, with Al Hilal one point further back in third and fourth-placed Al Qadsiah five off the top.

It took Al Nassr only five minutes to get going at Al Najmah, when Ronaldo won a penalty and then converted from the spot. It marked the club captain’s 21st goal of the 2025-26 RSL, moving him one behind Julian Quinones and two off Ivan Toney in the race for the golden boot.

Ronaldo, remember, has finished top scorer in the past two seasons.

From there, Al Nassr cruised to the three points. Kinglsey Coman got his side’s second just after the hour, before Sadio Mano’s effort from a Ronaldo assist was sandwiched by a double from defender Martinez.

Speaking after receiving the Man of the Match award, the summer signing from Barcelona said: "I'm happy, especially for the victory. It's very important to keep winning, to keep being leaders the league.

“And obviously it's always a pleasure to score, to help. But the most important thing for me is to defend. Today, I also scored a goal, and I think that's more than enough for me.”

Impressively, keeping Al Najmah at bay means Al Nassr haven’t conceded a goal in the RSL in their past six matches.

“It's vital,” Martinez said of the defensive strength. “We know that, if we keep a clean sheet, we generate a lot of chances, and we always score one or two goals. This is the path we have to follow.

“We have to continue with this ambition, with this enthusiasm, and we hope to give more joy to the fans.”

On the title race, Martinez added: “There's still a long way to go, and we have to keep our feet on the ground and know that, without work, there are no victories or titles.

“So we'll keep fighting until the end, and always with the same joy and the same enthusiasm since we started the league.”

Martinez and Co have no time to relax, with the RSL moving straight into Matchweek 24 on Thursday. However, Nassr aren't next in action on Saturday when they travel to 11th-placed Al Fayha.