Cristiano Ronaldo scores on return as Al Nassr reclaim top spot with Al Riyadh win

Al Nassr returned to the top of the Roshn Saudi League as Cristiano Ronaldo marked his first appearance of the season with a goal in a 4-0 victory over Al Riyadh.

The result moved Al Nassr back above local rivals Al Hilal on goal difference after two matches. Al Riyadh, meanwhile, suffered a second successive defeat and remain bottom of the table without a point.

The match was played on Friday at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in the Saudi capital, with Al Nassr taking control through goals from Abdulelah Al-Amri, Angelo Gabriel, Joao Felix and Ronaldo.

Al Nassr opened the scoring after 18 minutes. Brazilian midfielder Angelo Gabriel delivered a corner into the penalty area, and Saudi Arabia defender Abdulelah Al-Amri rose to head the ball beyond Al Riyadh goalkeeper Milan Borjan.

The visitors doubled their advantage in first-half injury time. A low cross from French winger Kingsley Coman reached the area, where Saudi Arabia forward Abdullah Al-Hamdan failed to make contact. The ball continued through to Angelo Gabriel, who finished to make it 2-0.

Al Riyadh struggled to produce a response after the interval, while Al Nassr continued to threaten on the break. Their pressure produced a third goal in the 58th minute when Joao Felix carried the ball into the penalty area before sending a low shot past Borjan, who was unable to keep it out.

Four minutes later, Al Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou introduced Ronaldo from the bench. The Portugal captain replaced Abdullah Al-Hamdan for his first appearance of the new campaign.

Ronaldo had missed Al Nassr’s opening two fixtures of the season. The club began their Roshn Saudi League campaign with a 3-0 win against Al Fateh before beating Al-Diriyah 4-1 in the round of 32 of the King’s Cup.

The 40-year-old needed only 21 minutes to make his return count. In the 83rd minute, Ayman Yahya sent a low cross into the area, and Ronaldo converted with his left foot to complete the scoring and register his first goal of the season.

The victory gave Al Nassr six points from their first two league games. They sit at the summit ahead of Al Hilal, who have the same number of points but drop to second because of the inferior goal difference.

For Al Riyadh, the heavy defeat leaves them 18th and last in the standings. Their opening two matches have both ended in defeat, leaving them without a point as they look to recover from a difficult start to the campaign.