Ronaldo scored either side of half-time as Al-Nassr teed up a final clash with Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, who beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the other semi-final on Tuesday.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star took advantage of an error from opposing goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic to open the scoring 17 minutes in, then tapped home at the second attempt to make it a double shortly before the hour mark.
That goal could have made it a hat-trick for the Portugal star, but he passed up the chance to take a first-half penalty after Ivo Rodrigues handled in the area, Sadio Mane instead stepping up to blast his kick into the top corner.
Fawaz Al Terais was on target late on for Al-Khaleej, but that proved a mere consolation in a one-sided affair which saw Al-Nassr rack up 21 shots and 3.78 expected goals (xG), with their opponents managing just nine shots totalling 1.37 xG.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo's mini drought over
Ronaldo was frustrated against Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, but he was back on song against the same opponents on Wednesday to end his mini drought of two games.
While Ronaldo's 43 touches were the fewest of any outfielder to start for Al-Nassr, he managed seven shots, five shots from inside the area and four dribbles – all game-high figures.
The Reds have been champions-in-waiting for some time, having taken 79 points from 29 games to open up a 25-point lead over Manchester City.
Yet the Premier League, like the vast majority of competitions across the world, has been halted due to restrictions designed to limit the spread of COVID-19.
It remains to be seen when, or even if, the Premier League will return as the hiatus has extended past the beginning of May already.
However, Mane insists there are bigger concerns given over 83,000 people have died after contracting coronavirus worldwide.
Asked if he felt like a champion already, Mane told talkSPORT: "I think not yet. I love my job and I love football, I want to win on the pitch.
"I want to win the games and I want to get the trophy, it's what I would love.
"But with this situation, whatever happens I will understand.
"It has been difficult for Liverpool, but it has been more difficult for many millions of people around the world. Some people have lost family members and that is the more complicated situation.
"But for myself, it's my dream and I want to win it this year.
"If that's not the case, I will accept. It's part of life. Hopefully we will win it next year."
Some - such as Manchester United's Luke Shaw - have suggested the Premier League should be voided if the season cannot resume.
However, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said earlier this week he sees "no way" in which Liverpool could be denied the title.
The Reds have not won a top-flight championship since 1989-90, prior to the inception of the Premier League.
Manchester United have emerged as a “shock contender” to sign ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane, the Daily Mail says. The 31-year-old forward only joined Bayern Munich last summer in a £27.4million deal but after a troubled debut season which saw Mane involved in a post-match altercation with Leroy Sane, the Bundesliga club are looking to offload the winger.
The Evening Standard says the Red Devils are also among the clubs to have sent scouts to watch Gent striker Gift Orban. It adds that Chelsea, Tottenham and Fulham are also keen on the 20-year-old.
Gossip surrounding United’s summer transfer plans is also featured in the Daily Mirror, with it reporting that both Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 28, and Napoli’s defender Kim Min-jae, 26, are on Erik ten Hag’s shortlist.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are monitoring Brighton’s Argentina World Cup-winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, 24, Chelsea’s Mason Mount, 24, and Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, 21.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Josko Gvardiol: The Daily Mail reports Manchester City are interested in signing the 21-year-old RB Leipzig and Croatia defender with the German club asking for £85m.
Simon Adingra : 90min says Brighton’s 21-year-old winger is wanted by clubs in Germany and France following a successful loan in Belgium with Union Saint-Gilloise.
The Bayern Munich new boy, who was also crowned the continent's top player in 2019, helped Senegal win their first Africa Cup of Nations title in February, scoring the winning penalty to down Salah's Egypt in the final.
The forward scored three goals throughout the competition in Cameroon, after which he was crowned Player of the Tournament.
One month later, Mane was influential in another shoot-out win over the Pharaohs, as Senegal sealed qualification for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
On the domestic front, meanwhile, Mane scored 23 goals in all competitions as Liverpool won the EFL and FA Cups during his final season at Anfield.
Mane made 51 appearances across a mammoth 2021-22 campaign with the Reds, a tally only bettered by Jordan Henderson (57), Diogo Jota (55) and Allison (54).
Oliver Kahn, chief executive of Mane's new employers Bayern, was the first to offer his congratulations to the 30-year-old, writing on Twitter: "We are very happy about Sadio Mane's award.
"FC Bayern has never had an African Footballer of the Year in its ranks in its long history, which is a special honour for our club.
"We are very proud that he is now on the ball for our club and have many big goals with him."
While Chelsea shot-stopper Mendy missed out on being crowned the continent's best player, he could draw some consolation from Senegal's clean sweep of awards.
The Lions of Teranga were named CAF's team of the year, while boss Aliou Cisse won Coach of the Year and midfielder Pape Matar Sarr scooped the Young Player of the Year gong.
Mane was a standout player as Liverpool went all the way in the 2018-19 Champions League, while he has also enjoyed a strong start to the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.
The Senegal international placed in the top three in each of the previous three years, finishing runner-up to Salah in 2017 and 2018, and third in 2016, when Mahrez came first.
But this time Mane claimed the prize, ahead of Liverpool team-mate Salah and Mahrez, who won a domestic treble with City and captained Algeria to glory at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
It is the first time since 2002 that a Senegalese player has claimed the award, with El Hadji Diouf winning it shortly after switching Lens for Liverpool.
While Liverpool's Champions League success undoubtedly helped Mane's chances, he also enjoyed a wonderful year individually.
In 36 Premier League outings in 2019, Mane scored 24 times and got six assists to leave Salah (18 goals and five assists from 34 matches) and Mahrez (seven goals and seven assists from 24 games) trailing in his wake.
Mane, Salah and Mahrez also formed part of CAF's star-studded Team of the Year.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was selected to lead the line, with Hakim Ziyech and Idrissa Gueye chosen in midfield, while Andre Onana takes the place in goal.
Kalidou Koulibaly, Joel Matip, Serge Aurier and Achraf Hakimi – who won the Young Player of the Year award – were the back four and Algeria's Djamel Belmadi was crowned Men's African Coach of the Year.
After guiding Barca to LaLiga glory and the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, Messi won the accolade for a sixth time back in September – he was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009 and claimed four Ballons d'Or while it was backed by world football's governing body.
Mane finished fifth in the voting, behind Liverpool team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
But Giresse, who coached Mane during his time in charge of Senegal between 2013 and 2015, insists the 28-year-old should have finished top after starring for Liverpool on their way to Champions League success.
"I definitely would have put Sadio Mane ahead of Messi, in terms of the season they had last season," he told ESPN.
"When I was head coach of Senegal, Sadio was still young but he had ahead of him an enormous potential, a technical potential, and a moral potential to go on to become a great player, as he has become today."
Giresse, named French Player of the Year three times in the 1980s, was Tunisia head coach until August and should have been eligible to vote.
"I didn't receive the ballot sheet, so it wasn't me who voted [on Tunisia's behalf]. I can't say who did, but it wasn't me," he said. The top pick credited to Giresse was Ronaldo, with Van Dijk second and Messi third.
Former Bordeaux and Marseille midfielder Giresse also managed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at international level with Gabon.
Aubameyang shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Mane and Salah last season and Giresse believes the Arsenal striker is now among the world's best.
"I launched Pierre-Emerick with the Gabon national team, at the start of his development, his expansion and his progression," he said.
"We can all see his pathway and the level he's reached now. We're talking about [him moving to] Real Madrid, so it shows how this player has reached a world-class level, and you could say the same about Sadio."
The trio all plied their trade in the Premier League last season, though Mane has since left Liverpool to join Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Mane scored 23 goals in 51 games for Liverpool in his final season at Anfield, winning the EFL Cup and FA Cup and reaching the Champions League final, as well as scoring the winning penalty in the shoot-out to win the Africa Cup of Nations for Senegal in February.
His former Reds team-mate Salah was on the losing Egypt side in that AFCON final, but had a stellar club campaign in 2021-22, scoring 31 goals in 51 games for Jurgen Klopp's men.
Mendy did not enjoy the same success for Chelsea as he had in 2020-21 when he won the Champions League, though kept 22 clean sheets in 49 games in all competitions in 2021-22, and did lift the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with the Blues, while also being a part of the successful Senegal team at the AFCON in Cameroon
The seven players to miss out from the 10-man longlist released last week are another Liverpool man in Naby Keita, Mendy's new Chelsea and international team-mate Kalidou Koulibaly, as well as Riyad Mahrez, Vincent Aboubakar, Karl Toko Ekambi, Achraf Hakimi and Sebastien Haller.
Due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been three years since the award was handed out, with Mane winning in 2019 ahead of Salah and Mahrez.
The final three for the Women's Player of the Year award are Grace Chanda of Zambia and BIIK Kazygurt, Ajara Nchout Njoya of Cameroon and Inter, and Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria and Barcelona.
The winners of both awards will be announced on Thursday.
