Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock as Al Nassr downed Saudi Pro League rivals Al Ahli on Wednesday by a final score of 2-0 to take full control of the title race with their 20th win in a row.
Al Nassr turned an eight-point advantage at the summit into a lead of 11 as they closed in on the championship and Ronaldo was predictably pivotal as he notched his 25th goal of the league campaign.
After 75 goalless minutes the Portuguese superstar rose to meet Joao Felix's inswinging corner and expertly flicked a header across goal and into the top corner.
The ball nestled just inside the post leaving former Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy no chance. Ronaldo sprinted towards Felix at the corner flag, where he was mobbed by teammates and substitutes.
Kingsley Coman put the game to bed in the 90th minute with a powerful drive after Al Ahli unsuccessfully attempted to clear another dangerous corner.
Al Nassr's winning streak now stands at 20 consecutive matches, including 16 in the league, with just four games of the domestic campaign left. Al Ahli have one more to play but look all but out of the running.
The goal for Ronaldo made it 25 or more in three consecutive league seasons for the Portuguese -- the first time since he did it in nine straight seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18.
With nine goals in his last nine games, Ronaldo now has 970 career goals for club and country and 126 for Al Nassr in all competitions. He is two behind SPL leader Ivan Toney for the most goals in the league this season.
Information from PA and ESPN Global Research was used in this report.
