Cristiano Ronaldo impresses Ange Postecoglou again as Al-Nassr coach singles out one regret after CR7’s perfect hat-trick against Al-Kholood

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to give Ange Postecoglou plenty of reasons to praise him, with the Al-Nassr captain producing another decisive performance in the Saudi Pro League. The veteran forward delivered a remarkable second-half display against Al-Kholood, although his manager felt the night could have been even more special.

Ronaldo scored three times in 15 minutes to help Al-Nassr secure a 5–3 victory at Al-Awwal Park, taking his career tally closer to the historic 1,000-goal milestone. Postecoglou made sure the Portuguese star received special recognition in the dressing room after the final whistle.

Al-Nassr faced a much tougher challenge than expected after Al-Kholood made an aggressive start. Julien Domingues opened the scoring in the 16th minute, beating Bento after getting on the end of an Abdulrahman Al-Dawsari cross. The home side responded through Angelo Gabriel, who finished a combination involving João Felix in the 24th minute.

Sadio Mane then put Ange Postecoglou‘s side ahead in the 38th minute, but Antoine Essomba restored parity in stoppage time to leave the teams level at 2-2 at half-time. Ronaldo had already seen an earlier effort ruled out for offside, but he made sure his frustration did not define his evening. After the break, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner took control and changed the outcome of the contest.

His first goal arrived in the 66th minute when Felix found him with a cutback inside the penalty area. Six minutes later, Ronaldo rose to meet another delivery from his Portuguese teammate and headed the ball into the net. He completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute, finishing after Mane helped create the opportunity during a transition. Al-Kholood added a late penalty through Domingues, but Al-Nassr held on for all three points.

Ronaldo moves 15 goals away from the 1,000 milestone

The three goals took Ronaldo’s career total to 985 official senior goals, leaving him just 15 away from reaching 1,000. The hat-trick was reported as the 67th of his professional career and his seventh since joining Al-Nassr in January 2023.

His record at the Saudi club also continued to grow. Ronaldo has now scored 131 goals for Al-Nassr, seven more than Mohammed Al-Sahlawi’s previous total of 124, strengthening his position as the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The Portuguese forward has also continued to collect goals across different competitions and countries, having represented Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr during his club career. He remains the leading goalscorer in men’s international soccer with Portugal

Postecoglou reveals what Ronaldo could have done differently

The performance earned Ronaldo a warm reception from his manager, who addressed the squad in the dressing room after the match. In footage shared by fan accounts, Postecoglou singled out the Portuguese captain and offered a playful assessment of his contribution. “Congratulations to the great man on the hat-trick… I think it should have been four goals,” the Al-Nassr coach said.

Postecoglou’s comment revealed his only apparent regret: he believed Ronaldo could have scored a fourth goal. The remark added another memorable moment to an evening in which the 41-year-old once again demonstrated his importance to the Saudi side.

The Australian also praised the team’s overall response after falling behind and allowing Al-Kholood to equalize before the interval. “Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his ‘advanced age’, scored a hat-trick. The players delivered a high level of performance, and their spirit is immense. We started the match on the wrong foot, but we quickly corrected our mistakes, and most importantly, we secured the victory,” Postecoglou said.

.