Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo and Rodriguez were expecting twins.

However, Ronaldo confirmed in a social media post on Monday that his baby boy had passed away. 

In the same post, Manchester United forward Ronaldo said the child's sister had survived.

"It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away," Ronaldo wrote.

"It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.

"We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time.

"Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you."

Following a suspension, Ronaldo made his Al Nassr debut on Sunday against Al Ittifaq, captaining his new side.

The first match of his highly lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia ended in a 1-0 victory, but Ronaldo was not the goal hero.

Talisca, the Brazilian former Benfica and Besiktas forward, headed the only goal before celebrating with the new boy.

Ronaldo appeared to be sporting a black eye, having received a blow to the face in a challenge with Keylor Navas during this week's exhibition between a Riyadh All-Stars team and Paris Saint-Germain.

Victory in Ronaldo's bow ensured Al Nassr finished the weekend ahead of Al Hilal, having been briefly knocked off top spot by their rivals earlier on Sunday.

Portugal veteran Ronaldo found the net twice in the first 12 minutes at Al Awal Park before completing his treble after the interval.

Sadio Mane teed up Ronaldo's third finish, as well as an 18th-minute strike from Otavio, who returned the favour for the Senegal international to score on the stroke of half-time.

Mohammed Al Fatil added a late sixth as Al Nassr recorded their seventh straight league win since their March 7 loss against Al Raed, moving them back within nine points of leaders Al Hilal.

Jorge Jesus's Al Hilal swept Al Tauwoon aside in a 3-0 away triumph on Friday for their fourth straight victory across all competitions.

Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium before Saud Abdulhamid and Saleh Alsherhi wrapped up a win that kept Al Hilal in charge of the title race.

There was no such fortune for fifth-placed Al Ittihad as they fell to a third straight defeat in all competitions after a 3-1 loss away against Abha.

Jota levelled after Grzegorz Krychowiak's 57th-minute penalty, only for Hassan Al-Ali and Fabian Noguera to power hosts Abha to a comfortable win.

Santos revealed the nature of Ronaldo's problem in his media conference ahead of the Croatia clash, confirming the infection was thought to have been caused by a bee sting.

Portugal had no issues in his absence at the Dragao, as Joao Cancel, Diogo Jota, Joao Felix and Andre Silva did the damage against a Croatia side that hardly threatened at all before Bruno Petkovic's consolation late on.

The Nations League's defending champions will hope to build on this win by beating Sweden next week, and they could yet call upon Ronaldo, though Santos insisted that he was not resting the Juventus star.

"I wasn't resting him. If he was in good shape, he would have been [in the starting XI] able to play the game," Santos told RTP.

"Today he trained, feels better and, at the moment, he will travel to Sweden. Then we'll see.

"There is no injury, but he has to recover from that infection."

To say it was Portugal's first match in 10 months, the Selecao were exceptional against the 2018 World Cup runners-up.

They peppered the Croatia goal in the first half and then eased to victory in the second period as they proved more clinical.

Santos was impressed, though he stopped short of lavishing his team with praise – he had seen similar in training, therefore knew such a performance was possible.

"From what they did during the week, they showed me this was possible," he added. "This team knows each other well, the job was to remember what has been done before.

"The team corresponded, 100 per cent. There were some less good periods, but that is part of football."

Marcelo held an emotional news conference on Monday to say farewell to Madrid, where he spent 15 years and lifted 25 trophies – making him the club's most decorated player in terms of honours.

A large part of that period of success came alongside Ronaldo with the pair forging a superb relationship down the left side that was decisive in the club's years of domination in the Champions League.

That spell also saw Ronaldo become the club's all-time leading scorer before he left for Juventus and now Manchester United, and the Portugal great still holds his former colleague in the highest regard.

"More than a team-mate, a brother that football gave me," he posted on social media.

"On and off the fields, one of the biggest stars with whom I had the pleasure of sharing a locker room.

"Go with everything on this new adventure, Marcelo!"

Marcelo, 34, confirmed he does not plan to retire and would have no problem facing Real Madrid if he was to tackle them as an opponent.

"I won't retire, not now," he said. "I feel I can still play. Facing Real Madrid won't be a problem. I'm a big Madridista but I'm also a big professional."

Madrid captain Benzema was named the world's best footballer by France Football for the first time in Paris on Monday.

The France forward was a deserving winner, having been Madrid's outstanding performer in scoring 44 goals in 2021-22 as they won LaLiga and the Champions League.

It was by far the most prolific campaign of Benzema's career, although his goalscoring form had already seen an upturn since Ronaldo's 2018 departure.

Benzema scored only 12 goals in 2017-18 as Ronaldo's final season at the Santiago Bernabeu ended with a fourth European crown alongside the former Lyon man. Benzema's fifth followed this year without Ronaldo.

Many might now wonder how Benzema's career could have panned out had he not joined Madrid in the same transfer window as Ronaldo back in 2009.

But Armand Garrido, an academy coach at Lyon between 1989 and 2019, pointed out to Stats Perform the ways in which Benzema also profited from playing with Ronaldo.

"Yes, the fact of playing with Cristiano Ronaldo, he was overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo," Garrido said in an exclusive interview. "But at the same time, yes, he learned a lot with Cristiano Ronaldo.

"He certainly learned how to work, how to train, how to keep a healthy lifestyle.

"Nowadays, there are other players like Cristiano Ronaldo, who are old compared to the kind of players we can be expecting at a very high level, and [Ronaldo] is still playing at top level.

"So, yes, Benzema learned a lot from Cristiano, but he was also overshadowed by Cristiano."

Benzema will now be remembered as a Madrid great, but Garrido added: "When he leaves to sign for Real Madrid, my first thought was that he's crazy; he chose the toughest club.

"Not [crazy] to join Real, of course, but maybe [it would be better] joining before another club superior to Olympique Lyonnais.

"We did not think that it was the best way to earn a place at Real Madrid, but when he does it, it is when we realise that he's a world-class player."

Ronaldo made the move to the Saudi Pro League during the 2022-23, after he was released by Manchester United, and has since scored 74 goals in 81 games in all competitions for Al-Nassr, averaging a goal every 97 minutes.

Last season, Ronaldo broke the record for the most goals in a Saudi Pro League season, scoring 35.

At the age of 39, Ronaldo has no plans to retire just yet, but he suggested he is likely to bring the curtain down on his trophy-laden career at his current club.

He told Portuguese channel NOW: "I don't know if I'll finish soon or in two or three years. But, possibly, it will be at Al-Nassr.

"It's the team where I'm happy, where I'm good, where I feel good, both in the country and in the league.

"That's why, most likely I can finish my career at Al-Nassr. I'm very happy to play in the league and I want to continue."

Despite a difficult Euros, in which Ronaldo could not find the target in any of his five matches and had the most shots in the tournament without scoring, the veteran reiterated his desire to continue representing Portugal.

"When I leave the national team, I won't tell anyone in advance and it will be a very spontaneous decision on my part, but also a very well thought-out one”, Ronaldo said.

"Right now what I want is to be able to help the national team in their upcoming matches. We have the Nations League ahead of us and I would really like to play."

Asked if he could take a step into coaching, Ronaldo said: "At the moment, I'm not thinking about being a coach of the first team or any team.

"It doesn't even cross my mind, I've never thought about it. I don't see my future going through that. I see myself doing other things outside of football, but only God knows what the future holds."

The French publication presented its all-time dream team on Monday, with Juventus superstar Ronaldo named alongside Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona – who died last month.

Brazil great Ronaldo, former Milan captain Paolo Maldini, Xavi, Bayern Munich legend Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus, Cafu and goalkeeper Lev Yashin completed the XI.

Reacting to his inclusion, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo tweeted: "I'm very honoured to be part of France Football's All Time 11."

"What an amazing Dream Team... They all deserve my respect and admiration and I'm obviously proud to be amongst such extraordinary players. Thank you!"

Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid's record goalscorer – has won five Champions League titles, three Premier League trophies, Euro 2016 glory, two Serie A crowns and as many LaLiga triumphs to go with numerous other silverware.

Ronaldo celebrated his 100th Juventus appearance with a brace in Sunday's 3-1 Serie A win over Genoa.

Not only was Ronaldo making his 100th Juve appearance, he also became the first player to reach 400 wins across Europe's top five leagues this century.

Additionally, Ronaldo – who has netted 77 times since joining Juve in 2018 – reached 31 goals for the calendar year, making him the third Bianconeri player to reach this milestone in the top flight, and the first since Omar Sivori in 1961.

Serie A holders Juve face Atalanta on Wednesday, with the 35-year-old Ronaldo looking to add to his 10 league goals this term.

Roberto Martinez's side are among the favourites to go all the way in Germany, where they begin their campaign against Czechia on Tuesday, before facing Turkiye and debutants Georgia in Group F.

Portugal were the only nation in qualifying to progress with a 100 per cent record as they won all 10 of their matches, scoring 36 goals and conceding just two, though their impressive form stalled with defeats against Croatia and Slovenia in recent friendlies.

Ronaldo, who netted 10 times in qualifying, is set to become the first player to feature in six editions of the European Championship, in which he already holds the record for most appearances (25) and goals (14).

The 39-year-old is joined by the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao and Goncalo Ramos in a star-studded squad he feels are more than capable of going all the way and landing a second European crown.

"I believe that this generation deserves to win a competition of this magnitude," said Ronaldo, who captained Portugal to glory eight years ago. "Semi-finals? I hope we can go further.

"We have to go step by step, live in the moment, be calm, work as well as we have until now, believe that it is possible. We know it's a short competition, but the team is ready.

"It's getting off to a good start, which is essential. I feel ready, I've prepared myself for this competition.

"It's my sixth European Championship, it's about enjoying it in the best possible way, playing well and making sure the team can win."

Ronaldo and Messi are the sport's two modern greats, with supporters of each player claiming them to be the best of all time.

However, despite European Championship success for Portugal and last year's Argentina triumph in the Copa America, neither have won the greatest team prize of all.

Ronaldo has endured a difficult season at Manchester United, yet he has arrived in Qatar in confident mood, even if he does not believe he has anything to prove.

"Even if I won the World Cup, there would be this debate," he said on Monday. "It's like in everything, there are some who like blondes more, others more brunettes...

"I'm an ambitious player; I'd love to win this competition, but if I don't win, I'd still be happy with everything I've done so far.

"If they told me that I won't win a title again, I'd be proud of what I've done.

"[Winning the World Cup] was a dream for me; it's possible, but we'll see. I hope all energies are on our side."

Ronaldo and Messi are long-time rivals, but they posed together for a game of chess in a Louis Vuitton advertising campaign ahead of the finals.

Were Portugal and Argentina each to win their groups, the pair would not meet on the pitch until the December 18 final.

"It was a campaign that I've been doing, which I've wanted for many years," Ronaldo said of the ad. "I've fulfilled the dream of being able to do it; everyone knows the greatness of the brand.

"It will be my fifth World Cup. I'm focused and extremely optimistic that things will go well.

"Checkmate we do in life, it's not just in chess. And I do it often.

"I don't know how to be direct about it, but I'd like to be the one to do the checkmate against him [Messi]. It would be beautiful to happen; it already happened in a chess game and in football it would be even more [beautiful]."

Ronaldo and Messi have met only twice at international level, with Portugal and Argentina winning one friendly apiece.

Ronaldo is reportedly considering signing a contract extension to keep him at Al-Nassr until June 2026, taking him past his 41st birthday.

The Portugal international has scored 42 goals in 41 appearances for the Saudi Pro League club this season, and he insists he is still motivated to keep going.

Speaking on the Whoop podcast, he said: "I feel proud to have this age and still compete at the highest level. It's great, and it gives me motivation to carry on.

"If you look at my career for the last 20 years, my level is high. If you are top for 20 years, it's unbelievable.

"I do that, and I continue to do that. For me, it's a big achievement."

Ronaldo has scored an incredible 891 goals in his career and is the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 128 goals.

"My biggest motivation is to carry on," he added. "It's not easy to be at this level.

"To still push, to still motivate, to carry on, to score goals, to be in good shape, to compete with the young lions that are coming and that when they play against me, they want to show me that they are stronger and faster than me.

"You have to prepare very well, not just physically but mentally, too. This is the challenge.

"Talent without work is nothing and work without talent is nothing. They have to work together at the same time. I have both. I can't say that I have more of one than the other.

"Small details will make the difference. Consistency is the most difficult thing.

"Are you willing to do that? That's the main point, because everyone wants to be Cristiano, but doing it is difficult. Discipline is the most difficult thing."

Alves played alongside Messi for eight years during his first spell at Camp Nou, forming a devastating relationship with the Argentinian on the right flank.

Both players were pillars of a Barcelona team that enjoyed a prolonged period of dominance both in Spain and Europe, with Alves winning 23 trophies during his initial eight-season stint in Catalonia.

And yet, despite seeing Messi's brilliance up close and personal, Alves – who now plays in Mexico for UNAM Pumas – still believes Pele's significance is at an altogether different level.

Speaking to Mexico, Real Madrid and Pumas legend Hugo Sanchez on ESPN, Alves was asked to pick between Messi and Pele – he said: "I choose Pele for one reason: he changed football. Messi changed a generation.

"All those people who are more than football, I'm going to choose them. And besides, I'm Brazilian.

"For me, Pele should not be part of this ['GOAT'] debate. If you ask me, who is the best player in history? I would say Messi. Pele doesn't come into it."

Cristiano Ronaldo was not brought into the 'GOAT' discussion, though Alves did appraise his former Clasico rival when asked about his toughest opponent.

"Cristiano Ronaldo," Alves added. "This b****** doesn't let you breathe for a second. I didn't do too badly, but it's difficult. He's a scoring machine."

Now 39, Alves is continuing his illustrious and immensely successful career in Liga MX having signed a one-year deal with Pumas in July.

He made the switch to Mexico City after spending eight months back at Barcelona, returning to help out his former team-mate Xavi.

It remains to be seen if he will be at Pumas beyond the current season, though he suggests thoughts of retirement have not firmly taken root, even joking he could play for another 10 years if Messi breaks his world record of 47 trophies won.

"First, before requesting anything [another season with Pumas], I like to deliver," he said.

"I have a year to prove myself with [Pumas]. I wouldn't have a problem [staying another year]. I need to show them that I can, that together we can build a very cool team in Mexico, that plays in a different way, that [lets] young people take a step forward.

"I don't like to think about the future because it's always unknown. I let life take me. If Messi passes me [in trophies] then I'm going to play until I'm 50!"

The Portugal forward, who made the move to the competition following his exit from Manchester United in November, made a quiet start to life with the club in January.

But following his first full month with Rudi Garcia's side, in which he scored two hat-tricks and totalled eight goals in four appearances, he looks to have fully settled into life with them.

Ahead of Al Nassr's 3-1 win against Al Batin on Friday, Ronaldo was presented with the monthly award, and promised it would not be the last one he claimed on social media.

"Happy to win the February Player of the Month Award for the Saudi League," he wrote. "Hopefully the first of many! Proud to be part of this team."

Ronaldo's first strike for the club came with a point-clinching penalty in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Al Fateh on February 3, before he scored all four goals in their 4-0 win over Al Wehda six days later.

Though he drew a blank in their 2-1 win over Al Taawoun, he set up both of his side's goals, supplying assists for Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Abdullah Madu on February 17.

The 38-year-old capped his excellent month with another hat-trick, this time in a 3-0 victory against Damac on February 25, to help keep Al Nassr in the thick of the title race.

That was the verdict of head coach Andrea Pirlo after Ronaldo netted twice in Saturday's 4-0 win at Parma, a game bookended by goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Alvaro Morata.

Ronaldo's supporting cast impressed, but there was no doubting the star of the show, the Portuguese leaping impressively to head his first before striking early in the second half to kill off the game.

The game came three days on from Ronaldo missing a penalty in Juve's frustrating 1-1 draw with Atalanta.

Pirlo was impressed by Ronaldo's appetite for the occasion, and the eagerness of the 35-year-old to make up for that spot-kick failure.

"Ronaldo was angry for having missed the penalty, but we had a few days to think about it and he showed how much he cares about scoring goals, even better when during open play," Pirlo said, quoted on the Juventus website.

"We weren't happy with Wednesday's result, but the performance was good. We had to get back the points we lost against Atalanta and we did it in the best way.

"We needed a team win and to score and we did it while playing good football. We are in a good moment, I like how we attack the opponents when they have the ball, we are growing, the right spirit is here, but we are only at the beginning and we will have to have this attitude in every match."

Omar Sivori was the last Serie A player to hit 33 goals in a year, doing so midway through an eight-year stay at Juventus.

Ronaldo could still improve on his own 2020 haul, with Juventus facing Fiorentina on Tuesday in their final game before a short break.

His 33 goals have come from just 28 appearances, with 27 scored with his right foot, four with his left foot and two with his head.

Thirteen of those goals have been penalties, with Ronaldo taking 15 spot-kicks in Serie A since the year began.

Just two of the goals have been scored from outside the penalty area, with Ronaldo firmly established as a predator inside the 18-yard box, while nobody has hit the woodwork in Serie A more often than him this year – the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star being one of six players to do so six times.

The double made him this season's outright top scorer so far with 12 goals, two ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku, whose heroics are driving the challenges of Milan and Inter respectively.

Gianluigi Buffon, who began his professional career with Parma in the mid-1990s, kept a clean sheet for Juventus against his old club.

The 42-year-old goalkeeper has experienced the ups and downs of life at Juventus in almost 20 years with the Bianconeri, across two spells.

And former Italy number one Buffon says it will take a string of stirring displays to be sure rookie coach Pirlo has stamped his mark on the team, who remain unbeaten through 13 rounds of Serie A games.

"Now it will be important for us to put together many convincing performances, showing off a good game, and then we can say that we are Andrea Pirlo's team," Buffon said.

"We will have some highs and lows – as is normal – but when we have the highs, we are good and beautiful to look at."

The Portugal captain, who moved to Saudi Arabia on a free transfer after his Manchester United contract was cancelled by mutual consent, opened his account with a late penalty at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium.

Saudi Pro League leaders Al Nassr twice came from behind to secure a point on the road.

Ronaldo got up and running in his third game for his new club to deny sixth-placed Al Fateh.

The 37-year-old forward calmly dispatched his spot-kick in the 92nd minute before his team-mate Talisca, who scored Al Nassr's first goal to cancel out Cristian Tello's opener, was sent off in a dramatic finale.

Ronaldo had scored twice for Riyadh All-Stars in a 5-4 friendly draw against a Paris Saint-Germain side that included Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe last month.

It was confirmed this week that the Saudi champions will feature in the Club World Cup later this year as the host nation representative.

Ronaldo will surely be desperate to feature in FIFA's flagship club competition and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner followed up his four-goal showing against Al Wehda with another match-winning turn on Friday.

Having teed up Abdulrahman Ghareeb's 17th-minute opener, Ronaldo supplied his second assist of the game to set up Abdullah Madu for Al Nassr's winner with 12 minutes of normal time remaining.

Ronaldo's first assist was a wonderful, first-time, sweeping pass into the path of Ghareeb, who still had work to do to shrug off his marker and beat Al Taawoun's goalkeeper.

The 38-year-old Ronaldo might not have known too much about his touch for the winner as he, perhaps unintentionally, cushioned a team-mate's shot back for Madu to drill into a gaping net, with the VAR awarding the goal after Ronaldo was initially flagged for offside.

The victory took Al Nassr back above Al Ittihad on goal difference.

"Top of the league and three important points," Ronaldo tweeted after the match. "Great team work!"

It means the Portugal star is likely to receive confirmation in the near future that the case has been thrown out.

Ronaldo was accused by Kathryn Mayorga of assaulting her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009, but the footballer has strenuously denied the allegation.

Now at Manchester United, whom he joined from Italian club Juventus in August, Ronaldo initially described the claims, first reported in 2018 by German publication Der Spiegel, as "fake news" via an Instagram video.

No criminal charges were brought, with the Clark County District Attorney's Office announcing in July 2019 that the allegations could not "be proven beyond a reasonable doubt".

Ronaldo's lawyers pushed for the civil case to be dropped, and a United States District Court judge for the state of Nevada has agreed that documents, which emerged via alleged illegal hacks by Football Leaks, should be inadmissible and the action dismissed.

The court criticised Mayorga's legal representatives, Stovall and Associates, for the handling of the case.

"Dismissing Mayorga's case for the inappropriate conduct of her attorney is a harsh result," the court report said. "But it is, unfortunately, the only appropriate sanction to ensure the integrity of the judicial process."

In a document released by the court on Thursday, it was stated that the documents were "inherently prejudicial to Ronaldo fairly presenting his defence".

The report, signed by United States magistrate judge Daniel J Albregts, concluded: "It is recommended that Ronaldo's motion for case terminating sanctions be granted. It is further recommended that Mayorga's action be dismissed with prejudice."

The court's decision can be challenged with a written objection within 14 days, it stated.

Ronaldo said on Twitter in 2018: "I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

According to Der Spiegel, Mayorga first made a complaint of sexual assault in 2009 and subsequently reached an out-of-court settlement with Ronaldo. It is claimed by the magazine she was paid $375,000 as part of a privacy agreement, preventing her from going public with the allegations.

Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Saudi Pro League leaders Al Nassr last week after his Manchester United contract was mutually terminated in November following a controversial interview with Piers Morgan.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was unveiled in Riyadh on Tuesday, stating he hoped to positively change the perceptions of Saudi Arabian football.

But Amnesty International, a global organisation that campaigns against human rights abuse, is hoping he uses his huge celebrity status to highlight off-field matters in Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, Amnesty International's Middle East researcher Dana Ahmed said: "Al-Nassr's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo fits into a wider pattern of sportswashing in Saudi Arabia.

"It is highly likely that the Saudi authorities will promote Ronaldo's presence in the country as a means of distracting from the country's appalling human rights record. 

"Instead of offering uncritical praise of Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo should use his considerable public platform to draw attention to human rights issues in the country.

"Saudi Arabia regularly executes people for crimes including murder, rape and drug smuggling.

"The authorities are also continuing their crackdown on freedom of expression and association, with heavy prison sentences handed down to human rights defenders, women's rights activists and other political activists.

"Cristiano Ronaldo shouldn't allow his fame and celebrity status to become a tool of Saudi sportswashing – he should use his time at Al-Nassr to speak out about the myriad human rights issues in the country."

The veteran attacker has struggled for form this season at club level with Manchester United, dropped by Erik ten Hag and mostly kept on the sidelines by a positive upturn in results.

But his place in Fernando Santos' Portugal squad has never been in doubt, with the 37-year-old leading his country in their Nations League matches with the Czech Republic and Spain this week.

Speaking at the Quinas de Ouro awards, where he was feted, Ronaldo revealed his ambitions to remain with the national set-up for another major tournament cycle, taking him through to the age of 39.

"I hope to be a part of the national team for a few more years," he stated. "I still have the motivation, and my ambition is high.

"My path here is not over. We have many quality youngsters. I will be at the World Cup, and I want to be at the European Championship, too.

"It has been a long road and I want to take the opportunity to say that the road is not over yet. You'll still have to put up with me for a little while longer!"

Ronaldo's only major honour at international level came at Euro 2016, albeit he missed most of the final victory over France following an injury.

Portugal will hope for a successful tournament in Qatar, where they are the top-seeded nation in Group H, alongside Uruguay, South Korea and Ghana.

Al Nassr had not lost any of their five league games since Ronaldo's debut on February 3, drawing his first match before racking up four successive wins.

But that run came to an end against their title rivals at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

Romarinho got the only goal of the game in the 80th minute, rounding off a devastating counter-attack.

The forward brilliantly brought down Ahmed Sharahili's right-wing delivery on the edge of the box, his first touch taking a defender out of the game before a cool finish sparked jubilant celebrations.

Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia tried to focus on the positives, however.

"We are disappointed because we did not deserve to lose," he said

"Al Ittihad scored a goal the way they like, on the counter-attack. The league is still long. We are now behind Al Ittihad by a point.

"I am happy with my team. We played in a difficult stadium in front of a strong audience, and yet we played with a wonderful personality."