Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr kept waiting for Saudi Pro League title by own goal

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionSportVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranTracking Israel's ceasefire violationsDonald TrumpRussia-Ukraine warcaret-rightSport|FootballRonaldo’s Al-Nassr kept waiting for Saudi Pro League title by own goalGoalkeeper Bento’s bizarre injury-time own goal denies Al-Nassr a title-crowning 1-0 win over rivals Al Hilal at home. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA late own goal denied Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr a Saudi Pro League title win in Riyadh [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 13 May 202613 May 2026Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates were left frustrated when their goalkeeper Bento scored an injury-time own goal, denying the club their first Saudi Pro League title in seven years. Riyadh-based club Al-Nassr were leading 1-0 and seconds away from defeating local rivals Al Hilal, who are second in the league, when Bento fumbled an overhead save that sent the ball into his own net in a highly anticipated match on Tuesday. A win would have sealed the 11th league title for Al-Nassr and the first for the Portuguese superstar since he famously joined the club in January 2023. Al-Nassr top the league table with 83 points from 33 games, while Al Hilal are second on 78 points from 32 games. Ronaldo, who captains Al-Nassr, cut a picture of frustration on the bench when the equaliser was scored by the Brazilian goalkeeper. The 41-year-old football icon has not won a domestic title with Al-Nassr since his then-record-breaking move from Manchester United after the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Al-Nassr’s last league title came in 2019, while Al Hilal won the league in 2024. Fans of the home team were given free team shirts at the beginning of the match, making the stands a sea of yellow in anticipation of the title win. Barring a shock result against 15th-place Damac in their final league game, Al-Nassr are favourites to win the league on May 21 . “The dream is close,” Ronaldo said in his post-match social media posts to his 770 million-plus followers. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: