The 39-year-old forward opened the scoring for Al Nassr in Al-Awwal Park with a penalty kick awarded in the first half due to a handball by Abdelkader Bedrane (who was sent off in the second half).
Ronaldo’s right-footed shot was guessed correctly by goalkeeper Amin Al-Bukhari, but he was unable to stop the trajectory of the ball as it found the back of the net to make it 1-0. The match was sealed with another goal from CR7 with 12 minutes remaining in regular time, following a back-pass from Nawaf Boushal.
At the end of the match, the Portuguese forward stood out for a heartwarming gesture on the pitch. Al Nassr players routinely thank fans for their unwavering support, and this time was no exception.
As this was happening, a young boy invaded the pitch and immediately ran towards the forward to take a photograph. Security guards rushed in to contain the situation, but Ronaldo stopped them to ensure he could take the picture with the young fan.
It was a perfect end to a remarkable day for Ronaldo, as he reached 915 goals in 1,254 official appearances for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia (79 goals in 88 matches), the Portugal national team (135 goals in 217 matches), Manchester United (145 goals in 346 matches), Juventus (101 goals in 134 matches), Real Madrid (450 goals in 438 matches), and Sporting Lisbon (5 goals in 31 matches). He had previously scored against Al Qadsiah in the domestic league and netted a brace against Al Gharafa in the Asian Champions League.
Cristiano once highlighted that he does not chase records; rather, records chase him. This statement holds greater significance now, as his brace on Friday took him to 79 goals for Al Nassr, achieved in just 88 matches since joining the club.
This places Cristiano in the top three historic goal scorers for the Saudi club. Today’s goal brought him to this impressive tally, surpassing his teammate Anderson Talisca, which puts him behind only Mohammed Al-Sahlawi and Abderrazak Hamdallah, who have 112 and 121 goals respectively.
Thus, Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring momentum in Saudi Arabia has brought him close to becoming the all-time leading scorer for Al Nassr, with a gap of 33 and 42 goals to achieve it.
