Former Real Madrid legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema faced off in a thrilling match in the Saudi Pro League. Benzema’s Al-Ittihad came out on top in the match held at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday night (December 7). They defeated Ronaldo’s Al-Nasr 2-1 to strengthen their position at the top of the league table.

Al-Ittihad dominated possession from the start of the match. Despite creating scoring opportunities in the first half, neither team was able to score. Karim Benzema’s goal in the 55th minute of the second half gave Al-Ittihad the lead. However, two minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo equalized with a stunning finish. It was the 916th goal of his professional career.

But the hosts Al-Ittihad did not let the match end in a draw. Steven Bergwijn’s goal in the first minute of extra time secured their 2-1 victory.

The victory took Al-Ittihad’s points tally to 36, keeping them at the top. On the other hand, Al-Hilal are second with 31 points, having played one match less. Al-Nasr are fourth in the league table with 25 points.

In addition to the rivalry in the match, the friendly behavior of the two former teammates was striking. At one point, Ronaldo tried to calm Benzema down when he got into an argument with an Al-Nasr player.

The loss left Al-Nasr further behind in the fight to win the Saudi Pro League title. However, Ronaldo’s personal performance is still the focus of discussion.