Ronaldo Misses Penalty and Open Goal Against Neom

Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo endured a difficult outing against Neom SC in the Saudi Pro League's 10th round on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, missing a penalty late in the first half before sending an open-goal opportunity over the crossbar early in the second half at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh.

The two missed chances came within minutes of each other and prevented the Portuguese forward from capitalizing on clear scoring opportunities. According to Goal, the second-half miss followed a headed pass from Senegalese teammate Sadio Mane after an Al Nassr corner.

Ronaldo's struggles unfolded in a match that brought together two teams competing near the top of the Saudi Pro League standings. Before kickoff, Al Nassr occupied third place with 19 points, while Neom sat fifth with 16 points, according to AOL's match preview published on October 20.

Al Nassr entered the fixture with a defense that had conceded just seven goals during the league campaign, according to AOL. Ronaldo had scored four league goals before the match, while Neom relied on former Lyon and Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, who had registered five goals.

Neom arrived after a 1-0 defeat to Al Ettifaq but had won three of its previous six away fixtures, according to AOL's preview. Those results provided context for a matchup between an established Saudi Pro League contender and a side adjusting to the top flight.

Al Nassr's confirmed starting lineup featured goalkeeper Bento behind a defense of Washl, Martinez, Al Amri and Yahya. Costa, Angelo, Mane and Al Khaibari occupied midfield positions, with Joao Felix partnering Ronaldo in attack, according to AOL.

Neom started with Bulka in goal and Al Dossary, Zeze, Sarr and Al Burayk in defense. Taha, Al Hassan, Al Oyayari and Al Absi formed the midfield, while Lacazette and Benrahma led the attack.

Ronaldo's first major setback came in the closing moments of the opening half, when he sent his penalty kick wide of the target, according to Goal's match report. The missed spot kick left Al Nassr without a goal from the opportunity before the break.

The forward then had another chance in the third minute of the second half. Following Mane's headed pass after a corner, Ronaldo found himself facing an unguarded goal but struck the ball over the crossbar, according to Goal.

The match was part of the Roshn Saudi Pro League's 10th round. AOL listed the scheduled kickoff as 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, equivalent to 9 p.m. local time in Saudi Arabia.