Jorge Jesus closer to the title after Al Nassr-Al Najma win | OneFootball

Al Nassr continues to go from strength to strength in the Saudi league. Last Friday, the Riyadh side, led by Jorge Jesus, took an important step towards the title. Up against Al Najma, and unable to count on former Benfica player João Félix — suspended — Cristiano Ronaldo was the standout figure in the 5-2 thrashing.

Friday’s match also marked the return of the national team captain to the pitch, after the Portuguese star had missed the last few games due to a muscle injury that required extra care. After CR7’s display, former Benfica coach Jorge Jesus once again has his goalscorer at his disposal for this final stretch of the league campaign.

Playing at home, and to the surprise of the home fans, Al Nassr, despite their superiority on the pitch, were caught out by Al Najma, who opened the scoring in the 44th minute. However, the visitors’ lead lasted just one minute, with Abdullah Al-Hamdan equalising at 45+8'. In quick succession, Jorge Jesus’s side made it 2-1, this time through Sadio Mané, at 45+9'.

However, at the start of the second half, to the despair of the 71-year-old coach, the visitors pulled level again. With the score tied, Cristiano Ronaldo did not give up and shone. In the 56th minute, the Portuguese international restored Al Nassr’s lead, making it 3-2. Later, in the 73rd minute, the number 7 scored his second on his return to action and made it 4-2. Right at the end, Mané wanted to “imitate” CR7 and made it 5-2, grabbing his second goal of the match.

With this result, the Riyadh club continues its fine run of form and moves closer to achieving its objective of winning the national title. After 27 matches, Jorge Jesus’s Al Nassr remain top of the table with 70 points, waiting for direct rivals Al Hilal and Al Ahli to slip up.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.