Blackout in the 98th minute
The curse is broken! Ronaldo’s first desert title
Unbelievable! Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr had the title all but secured. But a massive blunder by goalkeeper Bento Krepski in the 1-1 draw against rivals Al-Hilal meant that Al-Nassr will have to postpone their championship celebration after all.
On Tuesday evening, the big league showdown between Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal took place at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh. Going into the match, Al-Nassr had a five-point lead and one more game played—a win in the top-of-the-table clash would be enough to clinch the title.
Benzema’s goal doesn’t count
And the match got off to a lively start! Just a few minutes in, Al-Hilal’s star striker Karim Benzema had a great chance to take the lead, but goalie Bento Krepski made a brilliant save. After about 20 minutes, the ball was in the net, but Benzema’s goal was disallowed for offside.
Defender cool as ice
In the 37th minute, Al-Nassr finally celebrated: Center back Mohamed Simakan was in the right place at the right time following a corner kick and netted the much-celebrated opening goal.
Five minutes before halftime, Ronaldo’s spectacular long-range shot was denied by Al-Hilal goalkeeper Bono. In stoppage time, Ronaldo’s teammate Kingsley Coman hit the post after a terrible misplaced pass by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Right at the start of the second half, Ronaldo had a huge chance to make it 2-0. But his shot didn’t find the net—it landed in the stands instead. There were few other highlights until stoppage time. Then, in the 98th minute, came the drama from Al-Nassr’s perspective: While attempting to catch the ball, goalkeeper Krepski—who had been obstructed by teammate Inigo Martinez—let the ball slip through his hands and into the net.
Ronaldo in disbelief
Ronaldo, who had already been substituted, couldn’t believe it. On the bench, he clasped his hands over his head. Because of the late goal, he will have to wait a little longer for his first major title in the desert.
Will Ronaldo soon break the 1,000-goal mark?
Al-Nassr still holds a five-point lead and has one game left to play (on May 21 against league bottom-dwellers Damac FC). Al-Hilal has two games remaining, so theoretically could still catch the league leaders. With 26 goals this season, 41-year-old Ronaldo has played a huge role in Al-Nassr’s strong campaign. In total, “CR7” has scored an incredible 971 goals in his career—the 1,000-goal mark is getting closer and closer. For now, however, he’ll have to postpone the championship celebration.
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