Al Nassr made it four Saudi Pro League wins in succession as they comfortably beat Al Raed 3-1 on the road.
Despite being the second best side on the pitch throughout the first half, winger Sadio Mane finished into the bottom corner just before the break to give the visitors the lead.
It then turned from bad to worse for the home side as just one minute later Bander Whaeshi pulled back Mane and received his marching orders from the referee. That left Al Raed up against it in the second half and Al Nassr weren't in the mood to let the three points slip.
Anderson Talisca doubled the visitors' lead in the 49th minute with a thunderous strike that found the top corner from 30 yards out, before Ronaldo then made it 3-0. The Portuguese legend received the ball from Talisca, before nutmegging his defender and finding the bottom corner with a lovely left-footed finish.
Al Raed grabbed a late consolation through Mohamed Fouzair from the penalty spot but the visitors proved far too strong again for their opposition on this occasion.
MORE: Tracking the goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored for Al Nassr this season
Al Raed vs Al Nassr result
| Score | Goalscorers | |
| Al Raed | 1 | 88' Fouzair |
| Al Nassr | 3 | 45' Mane, 49' Talisca, 78' Ronaldo |
Starting lineups:
Al Raed (4-4-2 right to left): Moreira (GK) — Al Dossary, Gonzalez, Whaeshi, Al Yousef — Fouzair, Al Beshe, Normann, Sunbul — Sayoud, Tavares.
Al Nassr (4-3-3 right to left): Nawaf (GK) — Sultan, Lajami, Laporte, Telles — Alkhaibari, Otavio, Brozovic — Ghareeb, Ronaldo, Mane.
Al Raed vs Al Nassr live updates, highlights, commentary
FULL TIME: AL RAED 1-3 AL NASSR
Al Nassr put another win on the board as they begin to show their teeth in the Saudi Pro League title race. They weren't at their best in the first half but the Mane breakthrough just before the break proved crucial in really destabilising Al Raed here.
The hosts then found themselves down to ten men before Talisca and Ronaldo got on the scoresheet in the second half to make it 3-0. Al Raed got a deserved consolation late on through a Fouzair penalty finish but they proved not strong enough to get a positive result in this matchup.
Ronaldo scored again late on but it was disallowed as he was offside.
88th min: GOOOALLLL!! The hosts get a goal back.
Fouzair steps up and panekas the goalkeeper. What a cheeky finish for the winger who definitely deserves his goal today.
87th min: AL RAED PENALTY!! Alamri brings down the attacker and the hosts have the chance to get a goal back here.
84th min: Ronaldo hits the target again but Moreira is equal to it in the Al Raed net.
78th min: RONALDO SCORESSSS! It's been coming and the captain finally gets his goal.
It's a great all-round finish from the Portuguese legend who receives the ball from Talisca, nutmegs his defender and then strikes into the bottom corner with his left foot from just inside the box. Game over!
72nd min: Al Raed are really beginning to tire here as some big gaps begin to appear in the midfield. This will be a long last 20 minutes for them.
67th min: Ronaldo again goes for goal, this time from about 30 yards out but the keeper makes the save easily. He'll be desperate to get on the scoresheet here against the ten men of Al Raed.
64th min: CLOSE! Al Nassr win a free kick just outside the penalty area and up steps Ronaldo. He absolutely smashes it around the wall but it just misses the top corner by inches.
60th min: Al Raed continue their impressive response to that second goal as Sayoud continues to be a handful for Laporte and co in the Al Nassr back line. The visitors just need to take the sting out of this match.
55th min: In fairness the hosts have responded well to going two goals behind. Sayoud is clean through and looks to chip the onrushing keeper but his attempt goes well over.
52nd min: It's a very long way back here for ten man Al Raed. That Talisca bullet will have deflated them so early on in the second half and they could struggle to limit the damage here.
49th min: GOOOOAAALLLLLL!!!! Anderson Talisca with a beauty as Al Nassr double their lead.
He's only just come onto the pitch but it hasn't taken long for him to make an impact here. The forward picks up the ball around 30 yards from goal, lets it roll across his path and hammers a shot into the top corner from distance. What a finish that is!
KICK OFF: We're back underway in this game. Anderson Talisca takes to the field for the visitors as it looks like Al Nassr will try to add further to their lead here.
HALF TIME: AL RAED 0-1 AL NASSR
After playing so poorly throughout most of the first half and being the second best team on the park, Al Nassr somehow lead at half time. Mane proved the difference maker as his long range strike found the bottom corner before he was then dragged down a minute later by Whaeshi who received a red card as a result.
46th min: RED CARD! The camera comes back from the replays and Mane is on the floor. Whaeshi drags the forward down and he's dismissed by the ref. What a nightmare minute for Al Raed. It's adjudged to be just outside the penalty area.
45th min: GOOOAAALLLL!!! Al Nassr lead and it's that man Sadio Mane again for the visitors.
There's a shout for a penalty which goes unnoticed by the referee before the ball is switched to the right. The Senegalese winger brings it under his spell before smashing into the far bottom corner.
43rd min: The ball comes in from the right wing as Al Nassr look for the breakthrough. It's cleared but only as far as Brozovic but he can only fire well over.
38th min: After going down under a heavy aerial challenge a few minutes ago, Norman is forced off again for Al Raed. That'll a big loss for the hosts if he has to go off fully as he's had a brilliant game in midfield so far.
32th min: POST! Al Raed pick up the ball in midfield before it's worked into Tavares up top. The big striker rolls his man before providing the ball to Sunbul who strikes first time and cracks the post. That's a let off for Al Nassr.
27th min: We have our first drinks break of the night. Al Raed are proving difficult to break down here.
20th min: BIG CHANCE! Al Raed rely to the recent pressure with a huge chance of their own as Tavares is played through but he shoots wide form just inside the box. That should have found the back of the net.
19th min: Mane breaks into the box after he glides best three defenders but his shot is well saved by Moreira. The away side are beginning to turn the screw a bit now!
18th min: That's much more like it from Al Nassr. It isn't an opener for the visitors but Brozovic drives forward and finds Ronaldo who in turn shoots wide from distance.
14th min: CHANCE! Al Raed play it out wide before Fouzair dips his cross to the back post. The header can't be guided on target by Sayoud but that will go down as a good opportunity for the hosts.
11th min: Mane and Ghareeb are so far wide for the visitors that they're struggling to get onto the ball in the early exchanges. That width is great when it comes off but without the ball they look very isolated.
8th min: Al Raed break into the box but Sayoud just can't quite control the ball in order to have a shot at goal. Al Nassr have started slowly here.
5th min: Not much to talk about in terms of early chances so far in this one and it's been quite even on the possession front. Al Raed have started much stronger than many would have been expecting.
KICK OFF: We're underway here at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Buraidah as the away side get this game started. There's plenty of Al Nassr fans in the crowd for this one!
30 minutes to kick off: Al Hilal's Salem Aldawsari has drawn level with Ronaldo in the Golden Boot race on six goals but can the Portuguese legend respond to take the outright lead again in this match?
You'd be silly to not back him..
1 hour to kick off: Here's how Al Nassr line up for this match. Ronaldo starts up top whilst Alex Telles begins the match at left back.
1 hour 30 mins to kick off: There isn't too much hope coming into this clash for Al Raed given their slow start to the season but also when looking at the H2H record in this fixture.
That's because the hosts haven't won any of the last 15 competitive meetings between these sides with Al Nassr winning 14 of those!
2 hours to kick off: After smashing Al Hazm 5-1 last time out on the road, Al Nassr will be keen to claim another victory here as they begin to get their title charge under way. Another three-point haul would make it four wins in succession for the visitors who could move up to fourth spot in the table this weekend.
So far this season Ronaldo is the league's top scorer with six strikes, a tally he'll be extremely keen to add to further here!
Al Raed vs Al Nassr team news
It's been a pretty torrid start to the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League for Al Raed as they sit in 14th spot having taken just four points from their opening five matches.
As such, changes could be made here but without the funds of their opposition in this match, any team they put out is likely to struggle against Ronaldo & Co. Expect the home side to line up in a 4-4-2 shape then as they look to make it as difficult as possible for Al Nassr to break them down.
Mohammed Fouzair stands out as their star man so far this season, he's netted twice in two outings and appears their best route to goal again during this latest outing.
Al Raed predicted starting lineup (4-4-2): Moreira (GK) — Al Dossary, Gonzalez, Whaeshi, Al Sobeai — Fouzair, Al Beshe, Normann, Sunbul — Sayoud, El Berkaoui.
Despite a number of their players reporting for international duty over the recent break, it looks like all involved Al Nassr players managed to avoid picking up injuries. That leaves the visitors in a good position to extend their recent winning run.
It's yet to be seen if Anderson Talisca will feature here as the Brazilian continues to struggle with an apparent injury. He's also been the subject of numerous transfer reports of late but insists that he's happy at the club and doesn't want to leave in the near future.
Al Nassr predicted starting lineup (4-3-3): Nawaf (GK) — Sultan, Fatil, Laporte, Konan — Alkhaibari, Otavio, Brozovic — Mane, Ronaldo, Ghareeb.
How to watch Al Raed vs Al Nassr, TV channel & live stream
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| UK | Sat, Sept 16 | 4 p.m. BST | — | DAZN |
| USA | Sat, Sept 16 | 11 a.m. ET | Fox Sports 2, FOX Deportes | Fubo, Fox Sports app/website |
| Australia | Sun, Sept 17 | 1 a.m. AEST | — | 10 Play |
| Canada | Sat, Sept 16 | 11 a.m. ET | — | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | Sat, Sept 16 | 11 p.m. HKT | SPOTV | Shahid |
| India | Sat, Sept 16 | 8:30 p.m. IST | Sony TEN 1 and 2 | Sony LIV, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Sat, Sept 16 | 11 p.m. MYT | SPOTV | Shahid |
| New Zealand | Sun, Sept 17 | 3 a.m. NZST | — | Shahid |
| Singapore | Sat, Sept 16 | 11 p.m. SST | SPOTV | Shahid |
Fans can subscribe to streaming platform Shahid for complete coverage of every match from the Roshn Saudi Pro League.
As another way to stay connected to the action, the Roshn Saudi Pro League official channels (including YouTube) and SSC (Saudi Sports Company) regularly publish goals and highlights from the matches.