Al Nassr moved further clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League standings on April 11, 2026, defeating Al-Akhdoud 2-0 at Prince Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Najran to extend their lead to 73 points — maintaining their advantage over nearest rivals Al Hilal and Al Ahli as the season approaches its conclusion.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 15th minute, netting his 968th official career goal — a clinical one-on-one finish slotted into the bottom-left corner after latching onto a perfectly weighted through pass that split the Al-Akhdoud defensive line. The 41-year-old Portuguese captain found himself clean through on goalkeeper Samuel Portugal before completing the finish. Joao Felix added a second via a header into an unguarded net to put the result beyond doubt and hand Jorge Jesus’s side a vital clean sheet on the road.
Despite the significance of the strike in Ronaldo’s ongoing pursuit of 1,000 career goals, it was not enough to eclipse an existing Saudi Pro League landmark. The goal represented his 98th in just 101 Roshen League appearances, leaving him two short of the century mark in that tally — and short of matching Abderrazak Hamdallah’s all-time record of reaching 100 Saudi Pro League goals in 101 matches, widely regarded as the benchmark for the fastest century in the competition’s history.
Al Nassr entered the fixture as clear favourites against an Al-Akhdoud side battling to avoid relegation, though Jorge Jesus’s team still faced a disciplined and compact defensive setup. In the absence of injured defensive stalwart Iñigo Martínez — sidelined with a hamstring problem — the backline was marshalled by Mohamed Simakan and Abdulelah Al Amri, with Bento Krepski in goal. The defensive unit held firm against Al-Akhdoud’s counter-attacking threat, spearheaded by Saleh Al-Abbas and Khaled Narey, to preserve the clean sheet.
The match was not without controversy. In the 36th minute, Al Nassr winger Ayman Yahya appeared to be pushed inside the penalty area by Al-Akhdoud defender Christian Bassogog. The referee waved play on despite visible protests from the Al Nassr players and staff, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) upheld the on-field decision. The incident added further fuel to an ongoing debate over officiating standards in the Saudi Pro League, coming shortly after Al Ahli publicly released a statement criticising the quality of refereeing in the division.
In between the two goals, Al Nassr controlled large portions of possession and utilised the width of the pitch through Sadio Mané and Ângelo Gabriel operating on the flanks. The win consolidates their position at the summit of the table with the title race entering its decisive phase, keeping pressure on both Al Hilal and Al Ahli heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
