Cristiano Ronaldo twice failed to score when facing the goalkeeper, when Al Nassr was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Al Hilal in round 32 of the Saudi Pro League on the evening of May 17.

Al Nassr opened the scoring in the first minute of the match against the new champions. Ronaldo contributed to the goal by passing across the middle of the field to Otavio. Then, the Portuguese midfielder shot from about 22 meters, hitting the ball into the top corner of goalkeeper Bono’s goal.

Al Nassr had many more opportunities to double the gap in the first half. However, Ronaldo and his teammates both sent the ball out. In the 10th minute, the Portuguese superstar’s volley missed the target after a right wing cross. In the 27th minute, when facing Bono after a low cross, Ronaldo cushioned his left foot incorrectly, sending the ball out of bounds.

Ronaldo (yellow shirt) dribbles in the match Al Nassr 1-1 Al Hilal in round 32 of the Saudi Pro League on the evening of May 17 at Al-Awwal Stadium. Photo: Al Nassr

Meanwhile, Al Hilal did not press the field like previous encounters. In the first half, the champion team from the previous round had only one chance, which belonged to Malcom’s breakthrough.

Al Nassr continued to have more chances after the break. However, Sadio Mane and Ronaldo once again made fans happy. In the 80th minute, CR7 and two teammates rushed down to face Bono. After that, the captain received the ball, adjusted it, then kicked the Moroccan goalkeeper’s hand out.

Ronaldo and Mane’s misses cost the Al-Awwal team a heavy price. Minute 90+5, Mane swung his hand and hit an opponent’s face while fighting for the ball in the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty to Al Hilal, and Aleksandar Mitrovic scored accurately to tie the game 1-1.

Al Hilal got 90 points, after the draw at Al-Awwal Stadium. Meanwhile, Al Nassr ranked second with 12 points less after 32 rounds. Saudi Pro League will end in two more rounds.

This season, Al Nassr lost 0-3 to Al Hilal, drew 1-1 in the Saudi Pro League, and lost 1-2 in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup. On May 31, the two teams will meet again in the Saudi King’s Cup final.

Missed many opportunities against Al Hilal, but Ronaldo still leads the Saudi Pro League top scorer race with 33 goals. The second ranked player, Al Hilal’s Mitrovic, has only 26 goals. This season, Ronaldo has scored 48 goals in 48 matches in all competitions for Al Nassr.