Ronaldo at the double as Al Nassr win Arab Champions Cup

Five-time Balon d’Or winner Christiano Ronaldo has begun his trophy collection in the Middle East after leading Al Nassr to their first Arab Champions Cup. Al Nassr also played in the final for the very first time in their history.

Ronaldo who scored in each of the matches in the tournament except the opening day draw, was at the double today as Al Nassr held on to ensure the win despite playing a man less for much of the second half. Though he could not end the match after picking up an injury, the Portuguese talisman made sure he made good use of his time on the pitch and showed up when needed to produce the goals.

Al Nassr fell behind after Brazilian, Michael found the back of the net for Al Hilal, six minutes into the second half. Al Nassr’s task looked more daunting after Abdulelah Al-Amri was sent off for a bad foul with about 20 minutes to play. But as the game wore on, Ronaldo showed up and tapped in an open net to pull the Faris Najd after receiving a cross from Salem Al-Ghannam.

With no team able to find the winning goal in 90 minutes, the game headed into extra time. And Ronaldo then was again on hand to nod home a rebound Seko Fofana’s short bounced back after hitting the crossbar. What followed afterwards saw Al Hilal pour in to attack, delivering pressure on Luis Castro’s men as the clock ticked away.

Al Nassr held on the secure the win, making them the champions of the Union of Arab Football Associations. Ronaldo finished as the competition’s top scorer with six goals. Al Nassr will now head back to league action with the hope of winning the title they relinquished to rivals Al-Ittihad after holding the top position for a good period last season.