There was an abundance of star power in this matchup as two teams from Europe squared off, with Al-Ahli fielding a star-studded squad captained by Portuguese talisman Riyadh Mahrez and Al-Nassr featuring Frank Kessie, former Liverpool star Firmino, and other notable players.

In the first half, both teams played it cautiously, but the big names didn’t let their guard down. Up until the last ten minutes, the match was dull and lifeless, with a tenacious Al-Ahli defense limiting Ronaldo’s opportunities to score.

After jumping the highest to get a head on a corner floated in by Mahrez, Merih Demiral had the first gilt-edged opportunity for the hosts, but the crossbar denied him. Quickly following that, Ronaldo leaped for joy after scoring from a tight angle, but video assistant referees stepped in and decided he was just slightly offside.

Following the team meetings with their coaches at halftime, the second half picked up the pace considerably. Firmino scored for his team when Allan Saint-Maximin set him up, and more opportunities began to present up in the middle of the field.

The score remained unchanged, though, when video assistant referees disallowed the goal. In the last half, both teams really stepped it up, but Sami Al-Najei was killed off by a careless challenge from Roger Ibanez inside the box. To break the deadlock, Ronaldo stepped up from the penalty spot, stalled his run-up, and sent Edouard Mendy the wrong way. He then placed his shot toward the corner. The Knights of Najd snapped their winless streak of four matches, despite Firmino and company’s best efforts in the fourth quarter to earn a draw. Al-Nassr’s resolute defense proved too much for them.Ronaldo was the game-changer again! He had moments of brilliance, and those were enough to secure the victory. Truthfully, if it weren’t for video assistant referees, he would have scored a lot sooner. Still, he scored with pinpoint accuracy from the penalty spot, and his club cut the margin to nine points, albeit Al-Hilal remain in first place and have a match in hand.

The blame for his team’s loss stems squarely on Ibanez’s shoulders for that moment of forgetfulness. Despite his lack of interest in playing the ball, he reached out with his following foot to intercept Al-Najei, who capitalized on the collision. Fortunately, the Royals did not receive the marching orders, as he was already on a yellow, which could have caused even more difficulties.

Now that the international matchups are approaching, Ronaldo will return to Lisbon to reunite with his Portugal teammates. The 39-year-old will have two upcoming friendlies to add to his record international goal tally: one against Slovenia on March 26 and another against Sweden on March 21. He has a March 30 return to Riyadh match against Al-Tai after finishing his national team obligations.