Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo marked his return from a brief injury lay-off with a brace to help Al-Nassr secure a 5–2 victory over Al-Najma to move six points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League table. To make it even better for CR7, the match also marked Ronaldo’s 100th league appearance for the Saudi Arabian club, adding further significance to an already impressive night for the 41-year-old.
The veteran forward was sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury, which forced him to miss Portugal’s two World Cup qualifiers in the United States. Despite this, the 41-year-old showed no signs of rust, taking his career total to a remarkable 967 goals. His performance once again underlined his importance to Al-Nassr’s success this season.
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RONALDO CLOSE TO FIRST TITLE WITH AL-NASSR?
Al-Nassr largely dominated the first half, but were caught off guard in the 44th minute. Felippe Cardoso led a swift counter-attack and set up Rakan Al Tulayhi with a display of strength and skill. Al Tulayhi made no mistake and fired a powerful shot from the edge of the box into the back of the net. Despite the setback, the league leaders responded strongly and scored twice before half-time to take control of the game going into the break.
At the start of the second half, Cardoso made his presence felt again by restoring parity for Al-Najma. After a precise cut from David Tijanič, he curled in with a good effort. However, Al-Nassr quickly recovered.
Ronaldo, who was on the pitch for just over 83 minutes, opened his account in the 56th minute from the penalty spot. The opportunity came after Al-Najma full-back Abdullah Al Hawsawi was penalized for the ball in the box. Ronaldo calmly converted the spot-kick to allow Al-Nassra to regain the lead after the sides remained level throughout the early stages of the second half.
However, the Portuguese captain is not done yet. After latching on to an excellent pass from Nawaf Bouchel and finishing with composure and finesse, he went on to double his tally. His second goal effectively sealed the result and highlighted his clinical edge in front of goal.
The brace marked Ronaldo’s 23rd league goal of the season, putting him third in the scoring charts behind Ivan Toney, who has 25 goals, and Julian Quinones, who has 24. The win gives Al-Nassr valuable breathing space at the top of the table. They now hold a four-point lead over nearest rivals Al-Hilal, who still have a game in hand and remain firmly in title contention.
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Published on:
April 4, 2026 12:15 PM IST
