Mitrovic Doubles up as Al-Hilal Down Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in Riyadh Derby

Al-Nassr's Saudi goalkeeper #44 Nawaf al-Aqidi (R) catches the ball above Hilal's Serbian forward #09 Aleksandar Mitrovic (C) during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on December 1, 2023. (AFP)
Al-Nassr's Saudi goalkeeper #44 Nawaf al-Aqidi (R) catches the ball above Hilal's Serbian forward #09 Aleksandar Mitrovic (C) during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on December 1, 2023. (AFP)
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Mitrovic Doubles up as Al-Hilal Down Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in Riyadh Derby

Al-Nassr's Saudi goalkeeper #44 Nawaf al-Aqidi (R) catches the ball above Hilal's Serbian forward #09 Aleksandar Mitrovic (C) during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on December 1, 2023. (AFP)
Al-Nassr's Saudi goalkeeper #44 Nawaf al-Aqidi (R) catches the ball above Hilal's Serbian forward #09 Aleksandar Mitrovic (C) during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on December 1, 2023. (AFP)

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr lost 3-0 to table-toppers Al-Hilal in the Riyadh derby at the King Fahd International Stadium on Friday to fall further behind their bitter rivals at the top the Saudi Pro League standings.

The Portuguese striker left the field with rival fans taunting the five-times Ballon D'Or winner by chanting the name of his great rival and Argentinian World Cup winner, Lionel Messi at the end of the game.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic put the league leaders in front before Aleksandar Mitrovic's late double sealed a win that takes unbeaten Al-Hilal seven points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit 15 games into the season.

After a goalless first half, Saud Abdulhamid delivered a 64th-minute cross from the right for former Lazio midfielder Milinkovic-Savic to head in the opener, beating Nawaf Al-Aqidi low and to his right.

Mitrovic then headed in the second with a minute remaining when he nodded in Salem Al Dawsari's corner.

Three minutes later, the Serbian forward completed the scoring by cutting inside Aymeric Laporte to strike through Al-Aqidi's legs and net his 13th of the season to pull to within two goals of Ronaldo on the top scorers' chart.

The game ended on a sour note for Al-Hilal as defender Ali Al-Bulayhi was sent off in injury time by Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan, as Jorge Jesus' side notched up their 13th win in 15 league games.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.