Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to score a third consecutive hat-trick after he was named on the bench for Al Nassr’s Saudi Pro League trip to Damac.
After scoring the decisive penalty in a tense 1-0 win at Al Ahli on March 15, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner claimed the matchball in a 5-1 win over Al Tai and did likewise as Abha were put to the sword 8-0.
Unlike those two struggling sides, Damac are comfortably ensconced in mid-table and will hope to provide a sterner test.
Al Hilal are 12 points clear of Al Nassr at the top of the table and closing in on another title. Saudi Arabia’s big two will clash in the Super Cup semifinal on Monday, which appears to have figured prominently in Luis Castro’s thinking. Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles are alongside Ronaldo among the substitutes.
The Sporting News is following Damac vs. Al Nassr live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
MORE: Where to watch Al Nassr vs Damac
Damac vs Al Nassr live score
| 1st Half | Goalscorers | |
| Damac | 0 | |
| Al Nassr | 0 |
Projected/Confirmed lineups:
Damac (4-5-1 right to left): 30. Moustapha Zeghba (GK) — 51. Ramzi Solan, 15. Farouk Chafai, 3. Abdelkader Bedrane, 20. Dhari Al Anazi— 31. Nicolae Stanciu, 8. Tarek Hamed, 49. Ahmed Al Zain, 17. Domagoj Antolic, 10. Georges-Kevin Nkoudou — 14. Abdulaziz Al Shahrani.
Al Nassr (4-5-1 right to left): 26. David Ospina (GK) — 12. Nawaf Bu Washl, 78. Ali Lajami, 27. Aymeric Laporte, 24. Mohammed Qasem — 19. Ali Al Hassan, 29. Abdulrahman Ghareeb, 46. Abdulaziz Al Elewai, 14. Sami Al Naji, 8. Abdulmajeed Al Sulayhim — 30. Meshari Al Nemer.
MORE: How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored at Al Nassr this season?
Damac vs Al Nassr live updates, highlights, and commentary
5th minute: Al Nassr should be in front! Ghareeb curls in a nice corner from the right. Lajami times his run and leap to perfection but makes a complete hash of a free header.
1st minute: Ospina fizzes a lovely pass into midfield and Ghareeb is off and on his way. He picks out Al Naji, who is given space to curl towards the far post. The cross is blocked with Al Nemer lurking.
4 mins before kickoff: The teams are out on the field. National anthem done, handshakes, a lively atmosphere and we’re almost ready to rock’n’roll.
30 mins before kickoff: The man filling Ronaldo’s considerable shoes in attack tonight is Meshari Al-Nemer. The 20-year-old striker has represented Saudi Arabia at under-23 level. This is the first start of his senior career, with all nine of his previous first-team appearances for Al Nassr coming from the bench.
45 mins before kickoff: Here’s how the hosts will line up.
📋| Mr.Cosmin line up for today’s match …
Good luck to #Damac 💛♥️💪🏻#Damac_AlNasser pic.twitter.com/LyX5t5p1iE— DAMAC_CLUB (@DAMAC_CLUB_EN) April 5, 2024
1 hour before kickoff: Ronaldo on the bench! The teams are in and, well, you know how we mentioned that Super Cup showdown with Al Hilal? Well, Ronaldo is putting his feet up on the bench along with Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Sadio Mane.
🗒 || Starting lineup,@AlNassrFC vs #Damac pic.twitter.com/loXLmE1XFr
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) April 5, 2024
1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: The league title might be all but gone for Al Nassr, but Cristiano Ronaldo has powered clear in the Golden Boot race over recent weeks. Back-to-back hat-tricks in the hammerings of Al Tai and Abha saw him race to 29 for the season, seven clear of Aleksandar Mitrovic.
2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to the Sporting News’ live coverage of Al Nassr’s trip to Damac in the Saudi Pro League.
Taking a trip down memory lane 🚀
With some amazing goals against Damac! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/t4XGibeYzP— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) April 5, 2024
Damac vs Al Nassr kick off time
This Saudi Pro League match at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium kicks off on Friday, April 5 at 10 p.m. local time in Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Fri, Apr. 5 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Fri, Apr. 5 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | Fri, Apr. 5 | 8:00 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Sat, Apr. 6 | 5:00 a.m. AEST |
| India | Sat, Apr. 6 | 12:30 a.m. IST |
Damac vs Al Nassr lineups, team news
Damac drew 0-0 draw at Al Hazm last weeken. Former Tottenham winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Romania captain Nicolae Stanciu are the standout names in their lineup.
Damac (4-5-1, right to left): Zeghba (GK) — Solan, Chafai, Bedrane, Al Anazi— Stanciu, Hamed, Al Zain, Antolic; Nkoudou — Al Shahrani.
Damac subs (9): Al Hawsawi, Majrashi, Munshi, Hawsawi, Al Qahtani, Harisi, Makin, Rashidi, Al Johani.
With such a key game against Al Hilal coming up, Luis Castro has rotated his team.
Ronaldo is on the bench alongside Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles. Mohammed Qasem, Ali Lajami and Ali Al Hassan are among those who have come into the XI, with 20-year-old striker Meshari Al Nemer making his full senior debut.
Al Nassr (4-5-1, right to left): Ospina (GK) — Bu Washl, Lajami, Laporte, Qasem — Al Hassan, Ghareeb, Al Elewai, Al Naji, Al Sulayhim — Al Nemer.
Al Nassr subs (9): Najjar (GK), Al Khaibari, Al Ghannam, Telles, Mane, Al Fatil, Aman, Ronaldo, Brozovic.
Damac vs Al Nassr live stream, TV channel
Here’s where you can find the match in some selected major markets:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Fox Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes | Fubo, FOX Sports app/website |
| Australia | — | 10 Play |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | — | DAZN |
| India | — | — |