Cristiano Ronaldo has Benzema in his sights

Stefano Pioli made his debut as the new coach of Al Nassr on Friday, and he did so in style, with a convincing 3-0 victory on the road against Al Ettifaq. While Al Ettifaq isn’t backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, it still boasts notable players like Seko Fofana, Wijnaldum, Moussa Dembélé, and Toko Ekambi. But, under the guidance of legend Steven Gerrard, they barely put up a fight against an Al Nassr side that dominated throughout the match, particularly after Cristiano Ronaldo’s opening goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo fires home from the penalty spot

The Portuguese superstar found the back of the net from the penalty spot, after Madu fouled Al Ghannam. Ronaldo made no mistake, as has been the case for him this season: he’s played in eight matches and has scored in all but one (including games with Portugal), the lone exception being the previous round against Al Ahli. He nearly added another in the 89th minute, but his thunderous shot from outside the box rattled the crossbar.

Ronaldo just behind Benzema

Now, after four rounds, Ronaldo has positioned himself firmly in the race for the league’s top scorer with three goals, just one behind Benzema... though still three short of Mitrovic, the clear leader in Saudi Arabian football since his arrival in the summer of 2024. The Frenchman and the Serbian face off this Saturday in a clash between two of the league’s best teams.

Not far behind is Talisca, who scored the final goal in the 3-0 win in the 71st minute, also bringing his tally to three goals. Sandwiched between these two strikes was a goal from Al Najdi, providing Al Nassr some breathing room. Both goals came courtesy of assists from Mané, with two passes that reminded everyone of the star he was in his European days.