Despite Ronaldo’s brilliance, Al Nassr are still unable to catch up with Al Hilal. They have officially given up their hopes of winning the championship, after seeing their rivals crowned champions last night (May 11).

Al Hilal faced Al Hazm in Matchday 31 of the Saudi Arabian National Championship. The home side took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, thanks to a penalty converted by Aleksandar Mitrovic. Al Hazm responded with a goal from Faiz Salemani in the 34th minute.

However, an own goal by Ahmed Al Juwaid in the 39th minute gave Al Hilal a 2-1 lead. By the end of the first half, Al Hilal had extended their lead to 3-1, with Mitrovic scoring his second goal. This goal seemed to end Al Hazm’s hopes of picking up points and also Al Nassr’s chances of winning the championship.

In the sixth minute of added time in the first half, Neymar’s team scored their fourth goal. Midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic unleashed a powerful shot into the box that shook Al Hazm’s goal.

In the last five seasons, Al Hilal has won the national championship four times.

The 4-1 scoreline remained unchanged until the end of the match, as Al Hilal did not score another goal in the second half. The three-goal difference was more than enough to secure the three points, officially winning the 24th season of the Saudi league with a 12-point lead over Al Nassr, with three rounds remaining in the tournament.

This significant gap highlights that Ronaldo’s team is still far behind Al Hilal in terms of performance. Al Hilal is the only club in Saudi Arabia that has not lost a match since the start of the season. It also leads in both the number of goals scored and the fewest goals conceded. Meanwhile, Al Nassr has lost four matches since the start of the season and has also been beaten by Al Hilal in head-to-head matches.

The plan to bring back Ronaldo to break Al Hilal’s dominance seems to be falling apart for Al Nassr. The team has had a season that has not lived up to expectations. Al Nassr lost momentum in the championship race and were eliminated prematurely from the Asian Cup. Now, their only chance to avoid a trophyless season lies in the Saudi King’s Cup final.