Ronaldo's late penalty seals dramatic Al-Nassr win over Al-Shabab

Cristiano Ronaldo's 97th-minute penalty secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for Al-Nassr against Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League on friday.

The match, which began slowly with few chances in the first half, burst into life in the final minutes as both teams fought hard for a result.

Al-Nassr broke the deadlock in the 69th minute when defender Aymeric Laporte found the back of the net. However, the lead didn't last long. Al-Shabab clawed their way back into the contest after Ali Al-Hassan's own goal in the 90th minute, bringing the game level just as full-time approached.

As the match seemed destined for a draw, late drama ensued in stoppage time. Robert Renan fouled Abdulrahman Ghareeb inside the penalty area, and Al-Nassr were awarded a penalty. Ronaldo confidently stepped up and converted the spot-kick in the seventh minute of injury time, marking his sixth goal of the current league season.

But the action didn't stop there. Al-Nassr's Mohamed Simakan received a red card in the 12th minute of stoppage time for a challenge on Nader Al-Sharari inside the box, handing Al-Shabab a chance to equalise from the penalty spot. Abderrazak Hamdallah stepped up but was unable to capitalise, hitting the post and squandering the opportunity.

With this win, Al-Nassr moved back to second place in the league, collecting 17 points from seven matches. They now trail leaders Al-Hilal by four points, who sit on 21 points from seven games.

Al-Ittihad, currently in third place with 15 points from six matches, could reclaim second place with a win against Al Qadsiah on saturday.