Al Nassr, Ronaldo miss out on Saudi league title
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to win the Saudi Pro League title in his first season with Al Nassr after a victory by Al Ittihad in the penultimate week of the season saw them clinch the championship.
With Al Ittihad carrying a three-point lead and the tiebreaker advantage at the top going into the 29th round of the season, Al Nassr knew they needed a win to have a realistic chance of taking the title battle to the final day
However, Al Nassr could only manage a 1-1 draw away at Al Ittifaq after veteran midfielder Luiz Gustavo cancelled out a first-half opener from the hosts by Youssouf Niakate.
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Meanwhile, Al Ittihad had no trouble getting the win they needed to clinch their first title since 2009. After Ahmed Sharahili scored a third-minute opener, Romarinho scored twice for a 3-0 win over Al Fayha to make the victory and the championship safe.
After joining Al Nassr following a tumultuous exit from Manchester United last December, 38-year-old Ronaldo scored 14 goals in 16 league appearances. But the side from Riyadh could not keep pace with their rivals from Jeddah.
Al Ittihad have an unassailable five-point advantage over Al Nassr going into the final day of the season on Wednesday.