Cristiano Ronaldo rebounded from a midweek substitution by scoring the winning goal to maintain Al Nassr's flawless start to the Saudi Pro League season.
Al Nassr secured a 3-2 victory against Al Taawoun on Friday, extending their perfect record after trailing by a goal in the first half. Mohammed Bassam Al Hurayji opened the scoring for the visitors before Samu Costa equalized for Al Nassr just before halftime.
Ronaldo, who had been substituted at halftime in Al Nassr's previous match against Al Ettifaq, remained on the field for the start of the second half. He scored within five minutes of the restart, tapping in a teammate's goalbound shot from close range.
The goal marked Ronaldo's 978th career goal, and he is aiming to reach 1,000 before retiring. With this strike, he also became Al Nassr's all-time leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League, with 104 goals. His total of 131 goals across all competitions places him second in the club's history.
Following his decisive goal, Ronaldo was substituted again in the closing stages of the match as manager Ange Postecoglou manages his fitness.
The victory was a significant response to the midweek game against Al Ettifaq. Al Nassr had come back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 after Ronaldo was taken off at halftime. The Portuguese forward was seen gesturing angrily and removing his captain's armband as he left the field during that match.
Postecoglou emphasized after the Al Ettifaq match that the team's comeback effort was the main story. "I think there’s a bigger story today, and that is that ten men of Al Nassr were unbelievable. That's all you should write about today, everything else doesn't matter," he stated.
Al Nassr currently leads the Saudi Pro League standings with four wins from their opening four matches. The team also won their opening King's Cup fixture earlier this month.
Ronaldo expressed his happiness post-match: "I'm very, very happy. It's a great achievement, but it's not just Cristiano's achievement. I have to say thank you to my teammates, because without them, this wouldn't have been possible. But I'm also very happy for the fans."