Ronaldo helpless as Al Nassr keeper blunder dents Saudi title dream

What was Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento doing there?

Nobody could write this script.

Cristiano Ronaldo could not believe it. Al Nassr fans inside Al Awwal Park could not believe it. Honestly, almost nobody watching the Riyadh derby could believe what had just happened.

Al Nassr were literally seconds away from winning the Saudi Pro League title for the first time since 2019 and handing Cristiano Ronaldo his first major domestic trophy in Saudi Arabia. It was the 8th minute of added time. Al Hilal launched one final long throw into the box and Bento came off his line to claim it with his defender already covering the situation.

But instead of collecting it comfortably, the Al Nassr goalkeeper completely made a howler and spilled the ball behind him and into his own net.

That was it. Final whistle. 1-1.

One bizarre moment completely changed the mood inside the stadium and suddenly the title race was alive again.

Ronaldo looked devastated after the match. Cameras showed him still sitting on the bench while members of the coaching staff tried to comfort him following the dramatic collapse.

“The dream is close. Heads up, we have one more step to take!” Ronaldo posted on Instagram and X after the match.

“Thank you all for the amazing support tonight!” he added.

The match itself was not really an out and out entertainer to be honest. There were not many big chances created by either side as both teams played with caution knowing what was at stake. But there were still some interesting moments.

Bento was already under scrutiny in the first half when he rushed out of his box trying to deal with a dangerous situation at 0-0. Al Nassr escaped there unpunished.

Ronaldo had one early chance, but it was quickly pulled back for offside, while Al Hilal also had a Benzema goal ruled out by VAR after Milinkovic Savic set him up. That Benzema offside decision also sparked debate online. Many fans on X argued that the ball came off an Al Nassr player deliberately before reaching the crosser and claimed it should not have been given offside. But those debates will now be left to the fans.

Mohamed Simakan eventually gave Al Nassr the lead in the 37th minute after reacting quickest to a loose ball from a corner, sending Al Awwal Park into eruption.

Kingsley Coman was gifted a huge opportunity in the first half that he could not take to make it 2-0. People are even saying that is the miss of the season. He had only keeper to beat but he hits the post rather.

Ronaldo had another decent chance after the break but fired over the crossbar. The big man did not really have a great game overall, but while getting subbed off later in the match, he handed over the captain’s armband, turned towards the fans and started cheering them up, urging them to raise the noise inside Al Awwal Park. You could clearly see the passion and the crowd answered with incredible noise around the stadium.

Still, Simakan’s goal looked enough for most of the night. Al Nassr protected the lead well and the score stayed intact until the final seconds.

Now the equation is simple.

Al Nassr remain top on 83 points and if they beat Damac at home in their final game, they can lift the title.

Al Hilal, meanwhile, still have two matches left. They must win both and hope Al Nassr drop points against a Damac side still fighting for survival.

GN