With Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr set to miss out on the Saudi Pro League title again, he’s got even more problems in the shape of Ivan Toney.
Nassr lost 2-1 to Al Qadsiah during Friday’s SPL action failing to capitalise on a rare slip-up by Karim Benzema’s league leaders Al Ittihad who fell to Al Fateh.
Toney netted twice in a 5-0 win to help Al Ahli remain fourth in the tableGetty Ronaldo couldn’t find the net in Al Nassr’s away defeat on Friday nightGettyThe gap to the top stays at eight points with six to play, but there’s also trouble brewing in the top scorer race.
The biggest win of the night saw Al Ahli smash Al Fayha 5-0, and Toney bagged two goals during the rout.
In doing so the former Brentford and England striker moved up to joint second in the league’s scoring charts with 19 in 24 games.
That’s just four behind Ronaldo who failed to find the net against Qadsiah to further lose ground, with Sadio Mane scoring his side’s equaliser before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed home a late winner.
Ronaldo also has a fellow former Manchester United man to thank for his misery too, with Chris Smalling committing a cardinal sin for a defender in defeat to Al Ahli.
The centre-back, who left Old Trafford in 2021 a year before Ronaldo’s second spell, failed to block off former Porto striker Galeno rushing for a loose ball forward with the score 3-0.
Goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera rushed out to correct his teammate’s error.
But he was over eager in his attempts, and – cautious about Galeno swooping in – picked up the ball outside of the box.
That resulted in an unarguable red card for the shot-stopper, who’d already conceded three times from headers from corners.
Toney nodded one in, but not before a double from Smalling’s former Roma defensive partner Roger Ibanez.
Smalling completely misread where his man wasSaudi Pro League YouTube He left his goalkeeper in a terrible spotSaudi Pro League YouTubeWith Fayha down to ten men, Manchester City legend Riyad Mahrez soon won a penalty for Toney to score his second of the match and 19th of the season.
The Algerian winger then added one of his own to leave Smalling’s side four points from the relegation zone.
Toney’s goals moved him joint second on the scoring charts with Al Shabab’s Abderrazzaq Hamed-Allah while Ittihad’s Ballon d’Or winner Benzema is two back on 17.
Should any of those in the running find a way to eclipse Ronaldo, it would be an impressive turnaround since the Real Madrid legend made the Pro League his own.
Moving in January 2023 after his time at United came to a sorry end, Ronaldo scored 14 goals in half a season to finish fifth in the charts.
That summer a huge influx of world class players joined the league, including Neymar and N’Golo Kante among many others.
Yet despite the competition, Ronaldo still led the scoring charts with 35 goals, seven more than second-placed Al Hilal striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The former Fulham and Newcastle marksmen had the last laugh, though, winning the league, and his side are again in with a title shot, closing the gap to leaders Ittihad to four points after their slip up.
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