Cristiano Ronaldo Shines Again as Al Nassr Defeats Al Taawoun
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered again on Friday night, striking the winner as Al Nassr edged Al Taawoun 2-1 to preserve their flawless start to the Saudi Pro League season.
Four games, four wins, and the 41-year-old still dictating headlines.
Al Nassr hit back again
Ange Postecoglou’s side arrived still buzzing from their wild 3-2 comeback against Al Ettifaq on Tuesday, when they overturned a 2-0 deficit with 10 men and three late goals. That night, goalkeeper Bento saw red, Al Nassr trailed 2-0 at the break, and Postecoglou made the bold call to sacrifice Ronaldo before his team roared back in the final 16 minutes.
This time, Ronaldo stayed on for the full 90. The drama, though, stayed the same.
Al Nassr were slow out of the blocks and punished early. In the 11th minute, Mohammed Bassam Al Hurayji pounced, his finish putting Al Taawoun in front and silencing the home crowd.
Al Nassr pushed. They probed. The equaliser finally arrived deep into first-half stoppage time, when Samú Costa struck in the fifth added minute to drag the hosts level right on the whistle. The mood flipped. Suddenly, the comeback kings were back on familiar ground.
Ronaldo’s touch decides it
The second half needed a moment of clarity. It came on the left flank.
João Félix burst down the wing and drove into the Al Taawoun area, defenders backpedalling. His cutback found Mohamed Simakan lurking on the edge of the box, and the defender let fly with a low, goal-bound effort aimed at the bottom corner.
Six yards out, Ronaldo intervened.
He darted across the line of the shot and flicked the ball past the goalkeeper in the 50th minute, claiming his 978th career goal and turning Simakan’s strike into the decisive touch. As Ronaldo sprinted away in celebration, Simakan stood in disbelief, with replays showing his original effort was already arrowing toward the corner.
The goal stood, the points stayed in Riyadh, and Al Nassr’s perfect record remained intact. Four wins from four, top of the table, and Ronaldo still rewriting the script.
