Reuters via Imagn Images
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first league title in Saudi Arabia — and his first league title in club football, in general, since winning Serie A with Juventus in 2019/20 — will have to wait. A catastrophic goalkeeper error cost Al Nassr a title-clinching win on Tuesday, May 12.
In the match between Al Nassr and rivals Al Hilal in their second-to-last match of the 2025/26 Saudi Pro League season, Al Nassr held a 1-0 entering the final moments of the game. A win would’ve clinched the title for the club, their first since 2018/19, which is long before Cristiano Ronaldo joined the club in 2022.
Massive error by Al Nassr Bento in the final seconds of the Al Hilal match cost Ronaldo’s team a title-clinching win
In an effort to field a long throw-in in the waining seconds of the match, however, Brazilian goalkeeper Bento produced an absolute howler by whiffing on his attempted catch, sending the ball into his own net and giving Al Hilal an equalizing goal. The look on the faces of the Al Nassr players after the error tells the entire story of what a disaster it was.
BIG MISTAKE BY THE KEEPER COSTS AL NASSR THE TITLE 😳 pic.twitter.com/nJLV1iyTBd
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 12, 2026
As a result of the 1-1 draw, Al Nassr — sitting on 83 points — now must win their final match of the campaign against Damac to guarantee themselves the title. Al Hilal is in second with 78 points, although they have played one less match. If Al Hilal win their final two matches, they’ll achieve 84 points.
Al Nassr’s title charge this season has been mired in controversy, though, as multiple rival players across the league have publicly accused the Saudi Pro League of tilting officiating decisions in Al-Nassr’s favor to ensure Ronaldo wins a title.
Al-Ahli’s Merih Demiral told the mediae earlier this season that “the decisions always favor Al Nassr… They push for Al Nassr’s victory every season.”
Similarly, Saudi Pro League players Ivan Toney and Galeno also publicly blasted officials for denying clear penalties against Al-Nassr’s rivals, with Galeno posting on social media: “Just hand over the trophy, that’s what they want… they want to hand the trophy to one person.”
Despite being 41 years old and being nowhere near as effective as he used to be, Ronaldo is expected to lead the line for the Portugese National Team at the 2026 World Cup next month — a tactical decision that many believe is driven by his ego and cost them a chance at winning the Euro in 2024.