João Félix scored a hat trick and Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 100th goal in Saudi Arabia as Al Nassr beat Al Shabab 4-2 on Thursday to extend their Saudi Pro League lead to five points over rivals Al Hilal.
Félix had Al Nassr two goals ahead inside of 10 minutes with a pair of rapid-fire goals, but Yannick Carrasco scored later in the first half to cut the visitors' deficit to 2-1 at the break.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to give Al Nassr a 3-1 edge with the 971st goal of his career. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
"Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today," Al Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
But Ali Al-Bulayhi's goal for Al Shabab made for a nervous finish to the game until Félix scored his third from the penalty spot to put the game away.
The result puts Al Nassr on 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of second-place Al Hilal, who still have a game in hand.
The two teams meet on May 12 in a game that could ultimately decide if Ronaldo is able to win a first trophy since joining Al Nassr in January of 2023. Al Nassr and Ronaldo can also win silverware on May 16 in the Asian Champions League Two final against Gamba Osaka.
"Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter," Jesus said. "We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result."
Information from ESPN Global Research The Associated Press was used in this report.
