Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema both scored for their respective teams in Al Ittihad’s Saudi Pro League clash against Al Nassr on Friday, but it was the French striker’s side who scored a late winner to boost their title hopes.

Al Ittihad’s 2-1 win – their ninth in a row – at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah took them five points clear at the top of the table ahead of second-placed Al Hilal’s game on Saturday.

Benzema’s 55th-minute goal – his 10th in 10 league games – put the hosts in the lead before Ronaldo fired past Predrag Rajkovic from close range just two minutes later.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Steven Bergwign secured all three points for Al Ittihad in dramatic fashion when he fired a shot from the edge of the box into the far corner in second-half stoppage time.

Al Nassr will face Al Akhdoud in their next match on January 9, while Al Ittihad will face Neymar’s Al Hilal in the quarter-finals of the King Cup of Champions on January 7.

Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report