Video: Cristiano Ronaldo scores 978th career goal to give Al Nassr the lead vs Al Taawoun

Cristiano Ronaldo put Al Nassr back in front against Al Taawoun in the 50th minute on Friday, netting the 978th goal of his career to make it 2-1 at Al-Awwal Park. The goal leaves the 41-year-old just 22 short of becoming the first player in history to reach 1,000 career goals.

Al Taawoun had opened the scoring through Bassam Mohammed Alhurayji in the 11th minute, catching the league leaders off guard early on and landing a major blow at Al-Awwal Park.

However, Al Nassr responded right before the break, with Samu Costa leveling the score in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time. Ronaldo then struck five minutes into the second half to complete the turnaround and hand Al Nassr the lead.

The result, if it holds, would extend Al Nassr’s perfect start to the 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season to four wins from four matches, keeping Ange Postecoglou’s side alone at the top of the table.

Where Ronaldo stands in the Golden Boot race

Today’s strike brings Ronaldo to two league goals through three appearances this season, still trailing the early pace-setters in the Saudi Pro League scoring charts.

Steven Bergwijn (Al Ittihad), Ivan Toney (Al Ahli), Moussa Dembele (Al Ettifaq) and Teddy Okou (Al Riyadh) have each reached three goals in fewer or equal matches. Ronaldo’s goal today also sees him draw level with Sadio Mane and Joao Felix as Al Nassr’s top scorers this season, with all three now on two goals apiece.