Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot to help Al Nassr win 2-1 at Al Taee’s field, in round eight of the Saudi Pro League.
In the 87th minute, after Talisca’s header in the Al Taee penalty area, the referee thought that Alfa Semedo let the ball touch his hand. He gave Al Nassr a penalty and Ronaldo scored the winning goal. This is Ronaldo’s 10th goal in seven matches since the beginning of the 2023-2024 Saudi Pro League season, thereby continuing to lead the top scorer race with a gap of four goals compared to the following group. Counting achievements in all competitions, he has 16 goals in 15 matches.
Ronaldo also had another mark in this match. After passing from the right wing to the center in the 32nd minute, he continued to pass into the penalty area to assist Talisca. Facing goalkeeper Victor Braga, the Brazilian player shot into the far corner to open the score.
Ronaldo celebrates the decisive goal in the match Al Nassr won 2-1 against Al Taee on the evening of September 29. Photo: Al Nassr
Before and after the opening goal, Ronaldo appeared unlucky. In the 12th minute, the former Real and Man Utd star faced off, but shot at goalkeeper Braga’s foot. He also had a bad touch, causing the ball to fly over the bar after Sadio Mane’s left wing cross in the 14th minute.
Ronaldo continued to play erratically after the break. The 38-year-old striker shot out in an open position, took a free kick against the wall and hit the post facing the goalkeeper. Those misses almost cost Al Nassr. In the 78th minute, after escaping the offside trap, Virgil Misidjan kicked the ball, hit goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi and flew into the goal, equalizing 1-1 for Al Taee.
This is the result of the home team’s persistent counter-attack efforts. Al Taee only controlled the ball 42%, but had the same six shots on goal as Al Nassr.
Talisca (yellow shirt) opened the scoring and created a penalty that brought victory to Al Nassr. Photo: Al Nassr
However, when the audience thought the match would end in a draw, Ronaldo “spoke up” at the right time. After being awarded a penalty by the referee, he tricked Braga goalkeeper on the penalty spot to score the decisive goal. After the match, Ronaldo and his teammates shared joy with the Viking Thunder Clap, a famous congratulatory style of the Iceland team at Euro 2016.
With this victory, Al Nassr ranked fourth in the Saudi Pro League with 18 points. Ronaldo and his teammates are only two points behind leading team Al Hilal, one point behind Al Ittihad and Al Taawoun.
That was also Al Nassr ‘s sixth consecutive victory in the Saudi Pro League. In that match, they scored 22 goals and conceded only six goals. In the next two rounds, Al Nassr will continue to have a chance to win when they host Abha and Damac. Meanwhile, Al Taee is ranked 12th with seven points after eight matches, including two wins, one draw and five losses.
Ronaldo and his teammates shared joy with Al Nassr fans. Screenshots
In the match in the same round, Neymar missed a penalty kick, but assisted a goal to help Al Hilal win 2-0 against Al Shabab. Defending champion Al Ittihad accepted a 0-0 draw on Al Fayha’s field, in the absence of Karim Benzema due to injury.
