Al-Nassr’s 1-1 draw with Ettifaq meant that Al-Ittihad’s 3-0 win at Al-Feiha gave the team from Jeddah a five-point lead with one game remaining and its first league title since 2009
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first season in Saudi Arabia will end without a trophy as his Al-Nassr team was beaten to the league title by Al-Ittihad in the penultimate round on Saturday.
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Ronaldo arrived in Riyadh in January after being released from his contract by English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United and had to settle for second place in the 16-team Saudi Arabian league. Al-Nassr’s 1-1 draw with Ettifaq meant that Al-Ittihad’s 3-0 win at Al-Feiha gave the team from Jeddah a five-point lead with one game remaining and its first league title since 2009.
Al-Nassr dominated in the eastern city of Dammam but fell behind just before the break as Youssef Niakate scored for Ettifaq from close range. A fierce shot from ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo levelled for Al-Nassr after 56 minutes.
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Ronaldo has scored 14 goals in 16 league games since making his debut in January, but could not get a winner this time and Gustavo had a second-half strike ruled out for offside with 10 minutes remaining. Al-Ittihad won easily thanks to two goals from Brazilian forward Romarinho as well as a third-minute strike from Ahmed Sharahili.
The team, which is led by former Wolverhampton and Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo, secured its ninth league title overall.
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