Soccer-Toney brace sinks Ronaldo's Al Nassr in five-goal thriller


Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Ahli v Al Nassr - King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - January 2, 2026 Al Ahli's Ivan Toney celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates REUTERS/Stringer

Jan 2 (Reuters) - Ivan ‌Toney scored twice and provided one ‌assist as Al-Ahli handed Cristiano Ronaldo's ‌Al-Nassr their first Saudi Pro League defeat of the season with a 3-2 victory on Friday.

Toney put ‍the hosts ahead with a ‍quick-fire double, opening ‌the scoring seven minutes into the game before ‍adding ​a second 13 minutes later.

However, Al-Nassr fought back to level before ⁠halftime, with defender Abdulelah Al-Amri netting ‌twice - first with a powerful long-range strike and then ⁠with a ‍header.

The decisive moment came in the second half when Toney turned provider, teeing up ‍Merih Demiral with a clever ‌flick inside the box for the Turkish defender to slot home the winner.

The defeat snapped Al-Nassr's 11-match unbeaten run that included a record start to the league season of 10 consecutive wins that came to an ‌end with a 2-2 draw at Al-Ettifaq last Tuesday.

Al-Nassr top the standings and are two ​points clear of second-placed Al-Hilal. Al-Ahli are fourth on 25 points.

(Reporting by Basem ZahranEditing by Christian Radnedge)

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