Al Nassr hosted Al Riyadh in Saudi Pro League action as they continued their pursuit of the title. Despite a slow start, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a spectacular brace to power Al Nassr’s comeback victory.
In first-half stoppage time (45+2’), Faïz Selemani gave the visitors the lead with a composed finish. However, Al Riyadh’s advantage didn’t last long. Just ten minutes into the second half, Ronaldo leveled the score with a simple tap-in following a pinpoint cross from Sadio Mane.
But the Portuguese star wasn’t done yet. In the 63rd minute, after Al Riyadh cleared a dangerous cross from Mane, the ball landed at Ronaldo’s feet outside the box—and he unleashed a thunderous volley that flew past goalkeeper Milan Borjan, sealing the comeback in style.
While this season may not be the most successful in terms of silverware, Ronaldo continues to break records at an extraordinary pace. With Al Nassr, he has now scored 32 goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances. He also sits atop the SPL scoring chart with 21 goals.
These two goals also bring his career tally to an astounding 933. Although Ronaldo has downplayed the idea of reaching the 1,000-goal milestone—stating his focus is on enjoying the present—his consistent scoring keeps narrowing the gap as time goes on.
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The SPL title race heats up
A home loss would have been a massive setback for Al Nassr’s title hopes. But with Ronaldo’s heroics securing all three points, the team now sits third in the table with 57 points from 27 matches—just one point behind Al Hilal.
Karim Benzema’s Al Ittihad leads the standings with 65 points, setting the stage for a thrilling finish with seven games remaining. Crucially, Al Nassr and Al Ittihad are set to face off on Matchday 30 in a potential title-deciding clash. It’s a golden opportunity for Ronaldo to not only close the gap—but also outshine Benzema in the race for SPL glory.
