Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show with a late penalty as the Portuguese sealed a 2-1 win for Al-Nassr against Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League.

The ill effects of the recently concluded international break reared its ugly head as Stefano Pioli's men looked disjointed and fatigued for most of the match against a more inspirational Al-Shabab side. Chances came at a premium and if it was not for a stunning reaction save from Bento to deny Mohammed Al-Thani from a corner, Ronaldo & Co would have found themselves chasing the game from early on.

It was a drab first half and the match did not spring to life until Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring in the 69th minute. After the first goal went in, both teams looked more competitive and in the final quarter, Al-Shabab started enjoying more of the possession. Pioli was quick to react and replaced Otavio with Ali Alhassan. However, the defender messed up a clearance in the final minute of regulation time and ended up putting the ball into his net, much to the fury of his manager on the sidelines.

When both teams were looking to settle for a point each, hardly did they know the drama had just begun. Robert Renan lunged into a needless challenge on Abdulrahman Ghareeb just inside the box and the referee had no qualms pointing to the spot. Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty and the 39-year-old sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to score his sixth goal of the league campaign in the seventh minute of stoppage time. However, it was not yet over as Mohamed Simakan handed Al-Shabab a lifeline as he got himself sent off after stamping on Nader Al-Sharari inside the box. But Abderrazak Hamdallah succumbed to the pressure and hit the woodwork from 12 yards to hand vital three points to the visitors who are chasing Al-Hilal in the standings.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man! Ronaldo kept his calm when it mattered the most and delivered the goods, as he mostly does, for Al-Nassr. A stuttered run-up, a good look in the eyes of the keeper, and a well-placed penalty turned out to be the difference-maker between the two sides.

Hamdallah had a decent game to be fair to the Moroccan. But when his side needed a hero, the striker failed them. He looked under pressure before he took his shot and despite sending Bento the other way, he hit the woodwork which condemned his team to a heart-breaking defeat.

After a thrilling victory in the domestic league, Ronaldo & Co will now shift his focus to the AFC Champions League as they are set to face Esteghlal in Dubai on Tuesday.