Cristiano Ronaldo’s scintillating form continued as he netted twice to inspire Al Nassr to a 2-1 comeback win over Al Riyadh in the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League clash at Awwal Park on Saturday.
Selemani shocks Al Nassr with first-half opener
Al Riyadh stunned the home crowd just before halftime. The breakthrough came after Al Nassr’s goalkeeper Bento could only parry Abdullah Al-Khaibari’s long-range strike into a dangerous area. Faiz Selemani reacted quickest, slotting home from close range to give the visitors a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
Ronaldo turns the tide in eight sensational minutes
Al Nassr responded with urgency in the second half, and it didn’t take long for their captain to step up. Just 11 minutes after the restart, Sadio Mane found Ronaldo with a well-weighted pass. The Portuguese star made no mistake, beating the goalkeeper from close range to equalize.
Ronaldo struck again in spectacular fashion minutes later. Picking up the ball outside the box, he unleashed a powerful drive into the top right corner, turning the game on its head and sending the home fans into raptures.
Late drama as Al Riyadh reduced to 10 men
Al Riyadh’s hopes of salvaging a point were dashed in stoppage time. Defender Ahmed Assiri was shown a red card for a reckless challenge in the fourth minute of added time, compounding a frustrating evening for the visitors.
League standings shift as Al Nassr closes the gap
The victory takes Al Nassr’s tally to 57 points from 27 matches, narrowing the gap with second-placed Al Hilal to just one point. League leaders Al Ittihad remain ahead with 65 points, having played the same number of games.
Meanwhile, Al Riyadh sits in ninth place with 34 points, as their fight for consistency in the mid-table continues.
It was a tough match, but we showed character. I'm happy to help the team with two goals, said Ronaldo after the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo has played a total of 26 matches in the Saudi Pro League. In those 26 matches, he has 23 goals and 3 assists to his name. The two goals that he scored against Al Riyadh takes his tally to 933 goals as he is 67 goals away from reaching the 1000 goal mark.