- Ronaldo had netted in the second half to square things up after earlier strike
- But a former Tottenham wide man netted the deciding goal in a dramatic ending
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Former Real Madrid team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema traded goals as their two Saudi Pro League teams clashed on Friday night – with Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr suffering a late blow to further dent their title hopes.
The Los Blancos icons are now plying their trades in the middle east, with Ronaldo the main main at Al-Nassr and Benzema part of the playing squad at league leaders Al-Ittihad.
Before that, though, they were long team-mates at Madrid, with Ronaldo playing for the Spanish giants between 2009 and 2018 and Benzema 2009 and 2023. In total, the duo played alongside each other 342 times.
Now 39 and 36 respectively, however, they are winding down their careers but showed they can still perform on Friday when they were both on target with their two teams facing off in league action.
It was Benzema who netted first, lining up for Al-Ittihad, who were looking to go five points clear at the top of the league table. After defender Muhannad Al Shanqiti broke, the former Ballon d’Or winner poked home from inside the box on 55 minutes to give his side the lead.
That lead didn’t last long, however, with Ronaldo himself popping up two minutes later with a goal of his own – his 50th goal involvement of 2024. Ultimately, though, it would be in vein, with a late goal meaning Al-Ittihad took all three points from the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr suffered a dramatic defeat by Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League
Ronaldo had scored in the second half to make it 1-1 after a former team-mate opened scoring
It was Karim Benzema (right) who did so – the duo played together 342 times for Los Blancos
But former Tottenham wide man Steven Bergwijn (left) netted in stoppage time to secure win
Arriving late in the box just seconds after his former team-mate had scored, Ronaldo fired low into the back of the net to square things up in the game.
Rather than his usual ‘sui’ celebration, he then went to show off a ‘calma’ gesture, which he has in part become synonymous with over the years.
The Portuguese would have hoped his strike could have inspired his side to go on and win what was a crucial tie in the title race, but it was much the opposite.
In stoppage time, with Al-Nassr pushing for a winner, former Tottenham wide man Steven Bergwijn netted to help his side claim a 2-1 win and the five-point lead they had desired at the top of the table.
With 13 games played, Al-Ittihad are on 36 points, with Al-Hilal on 31. Their rivals do, however, have a game in hand.
Ronaldo and Al-Nassr are fourth in the table on 25 points from 13 games after suffering their second defeat in three games.