Ronaldo double downs Damac | OneFootball

A man-of-the-match performance from Cristiano Ronaldo saw Al Nassr cruise past Damac 2-0 on a cold Friday evening in Riyadh.

The Portuguese legend was at his clinical best to help the Riyadh side climb temporarily into third place, with two of their direct rivals; fifth-placed Al Shabab and second-placed Al Hilal, locking horns on Saturday.

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The hosts were gifted the perfect opportunity early on when a Nawaf Boushal cross from the left was handled inside the box by Damac centre-back Abdelkader Bedrane, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Ronaldo confidently stepped up and powered into the bottom corner for his 914th career goal after just 17 minutes.

Al Nassr could have doubled their lead in the 34th minute when Ronaldo picked the ball up on the edge of the Damac box and produced a moment of magic to backheel it into the path of Sadio Mane, but the former Liverpool winger was denied by an exceptional save from goalkeeper Amin Bukhari.

Bedrane’s torrid outing in the capital came to an abrupt conclusion in the 54th minute when the Algerian planted his studs into the shin of Mohamed Simakan, forcing the Frenchman off the pitch and joining him on the way out with a straight red card.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s night went from good to great after he got on the end of a Boushal cut-back from the byline, converting it first-time with his left into the back of the net for 2-0 with just 11 minutes to go.

Goal number 915 for Ronaldo also marked his ninth in 11 RSL appearances this season, placing him just behind Al Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrovic (12) as he pursues a retention of the top scorer accolade he won last season with a league record 35 goals.

Al Nassr now await the result of their two neighbours in the derby before taking on leaders Al Ittihad next week, while Damac, who have slipped into the bottom half, need to regroup ahead of home match against Al Fayha.