Cristiano Ronaldo made more history for Al Nassr on Friday, scoring in their 2-1 comeback victory over Al Taawoun to become the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League.
Al Nassr initially fell behind in the 11th minute when Bassam Mohammed Al Hurayji reacted quickest to put Al Taawoun ahead. The champions eventually responded through Samu Costa, who levelled the score in first-half stoppage time.
Ronaldo then played a decisive role five minutes after the restart. His flick helped Mohammed Simakan’s goal-bound effort find the net, completing Al Nassr’s comeback and securing another victory for the Riyadh side.
Ronaldo reaches 104 Saudi Pro League goals for Al Nassr
The goal took Ronaldo’s Saudi Pro League tally for Al Nassr to 104, moving him beyond Mohammed Al Sahlawi as the club’s leading scorer in the competition.
The milestone also moved the five-time Ballon d’Or winner closer to another remarkable target: 1,000 career goals.
Ronaldo now has 978 goals across his career, according to the figures in the report.
“I’m very, very happy,” Ronaldo said after the match. “It’s a great achievement, but it’s not just Cristiano’s achievement.”
He also thanked his teammates and supporters, saying their backing had helped him reach the milestone.
Al Nassr maintain perfect start
The victory keeps Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League table with a perfect record of four wins from four matches.
It also maintained new manager Ange Postecoglou’s 100 per cent start since taking over from Jorge Jesus during the summer.
The win was particularly impressive given Al Nassr’s difficult recent schedule. The team had played five matches in 13 days, with Postecoglou admitting that the players were struggling to cope with the demands.
“We have a break period before the next match, and this is a good thing,” Postecoglou said.
The Australian manager added that the break would allow the players to recover and give the coaching staff more time to prepare for their next fixture.
Ronaldo responds after difficult week
Ronaldo’s record-breaking performance came just days after an incident involving the Al Nassr captain.
The forward had been substituted early in the second half during the team’s previous match against Al Ettifaq, with Al Nassr trailing 2-0 at the time.
Ronaldo did not return to the bench after being replaced, although Al Nassr eventually recovered to win the match 3-2 despite goalkeeper Bento being sent off early.
Against Al Taawoun, however, Ronaldo was once again central to the team’s comeback and added another milestone to his remarkable career.
Al Nassr will next face Al Ittihad on Saturday, giving Ronaldo another opportunity to add to his Saudi Pro League goal tally.
Discover more from Footy Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.