JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — In a thrilling encounter on Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal could not prevent Al-Nassr from suffering a 2-1 defeat against Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad, who secured their ninth consecutive victory in the Saudi Pro League. This win allowed Al-Ittihad to extend their lead at the top of the league table to five points. Meanwhile, Al-Nassr currently sits in fourth place, trailing the leaders by 11 points as the league prepares for a month-long break.

The match saw Benzema break the deadlock in the 55th minute, finding the back of the net with a precise shot from within the penalty area after receiving an excellent cross from Muhannad Al-Shanqiti on the right flank. The home crowd in Jeddah were still reveling in the lead when Ronaldo quickly equalized for Al-Nassr less than two minutes later. The renowned forward scored from close range past the Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, bringing his tally to 10 league goals and denying Rajkovic a sixth consecutive clean sheet.

Al-Nassr’s Sadio Mane squandered another chance to score, which proved costly as the match ticked into injury time. In a dramatic twist, Dutch international Steven Bergwijn, who joined Al-Ittihad from Ajax in September, struck a stunning shot from the edge of the box that curled into the far corner, sealing the victory for his team and manager Laurent Blanc.

In other league updates, Al-Qadsia surged past Al-Nassr into third place after their commanding 3-0 triumph over Al-Kholood. This match featured a goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the second half, flanked by two goals from Julian Quinones of Mexico. The defending champions, Al-Hilal, have an opportunity to narrow the gap with Al-Ittihad to just two points if they succeed in their match against Al-Raed on Saturday.