Cristiano Ronaldo was among the goals as Al-Nassr claimed a hard-fought 2-1 win at Al-Raed to move within five points of the Saudi Pro League summit. 

Ronaldo flicked Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-right corner in the 35th minute, putting Al-Nassr on top against opponents perched just outside the relegation zone.

The Portugal legend then turned provider for Nawaf Bu Washl to double the visitors' lead early in the second half, and they clung on for three points despite Amir Sayoud halving the arrears with 14 minutes to play.

Al-Nassr, who are reportedly close to signing Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran and have also shown interest in Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma, leapfrogged Al-Qadisiyah to go third.

They are five points behind Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad but have played one additional game, so could find themselves eight points adrift when those sides take to the field on Saturday.

921 
AND COUNTING...... https://t.co/utBAim4bmt pic.twitter.com/pHZf8JF3rI

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) January 30, 2025

Earlier on Thursday, an Ivan Toney penalty helped Al-Ahli – who are just three points behind Al-Nassr – beat Al-Orobah 2-0.

Toney is now up to seven goals for the campaign, with two of those coming from the spot. Ziyad Aljohani also scored for Al-Ahli, who have now won three straight games.

Data Debrief: Ronaldo leads the way

Ronaldo's 15th goal of the Saudi Pro League season pulled him two clear of former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema at the top of the scoring charts.

Those strikes have come in 17 outings, and he has netted four times in his last three in the competition. However, matching his single-season competition record of 35, set in 2023-24, looks a tall order.

Ronaldo averaged 1.13 goals per game last campaign, but that figure is down to 0.88 in 2024-25. He arguably could have added to his tally on Thursday, too, attempting seven of his team's 17 shots.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner now has 921 career goals for club and country, as he continues to inch towards the 1,000-goal landmark.