Christiano Ronaldo’s hopes of winning the 2022/23 Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr suffered a major blow on Tuesday night, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to local rivals Al Hilal in a crucial Riyadh derby match.

Despite the presence of Ronaldo, Al-Nassr were unable to capitalize on their opportunities, failing to find the back of the net.

The match saw two penalty goals from Saudi Pro League top scorer Odion Ighalo, who took his tally to 18 goals for the season. Both penalties were awarded by English Premier League referee Michael Oliver, who was brought in to officiate the match.

Al Hilal, who entered the match with no realistic chance of winning the title, dominated the first half and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead after a handball in the box was spotted by Oliver.

In the second half, Al-Nassr made two changes and started strongly, but their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Al Hilal’s Michael was brought down in the box and Ighalo converted his second penalty of the night.

Ronaldo had a frustrating evening, as he thought he had won a late penalty, only for VAR to rule against it. He did manage to score a late goal, but it was ruled offside.

The defeat leaves Al-Nassr three points behind Al Ittihad with just six games remaining, and their title hopes are fading fast.