Cristiano Ronaldo Leads Al Nassr to Fourth Straight Win in Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo struck the decisive blow on Friday night as Al Nassr preserved their flawless start to the Saudi Pro League season with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Al Taawoun.
Four games, four wins. And once again, they did it the hard way.
Just days after that wild 3-2 comeback against Al Ettifaq, Ange Postecoglou’s side were dragged into another test of nerve and resilience. On Tuesday, they had stared at a 2-0 deficit at halftime, lost goalkeeper Bento to a red card, and watched their coach make the bold call to haul off Ronaldo before launching a late, three-goal surge in the final 16 minutes.
This time, the Portuguese star stayed on the pitch from first whistle to last. The jeopardy, though, remained.
Al Taawoun drew first blood in the 11th minute, when Mohammed Bassam Al Hurayji punished slack defending to put the visitors in front and briefly silence the home crowd. Al Nassr, again, were chasing.
They probed, they pushed, but it took them until the final moments of the first half to break through. Deep into stoppage time, in the fifth added minute, Samú Costa finally dragged them level, a crucial equaliser that changed the mood and the message in the dressing room at the interval.
Second Half
The second half belonged to Ronaldo.
On 50 minutes, Al Nassr carved Al Taawoun open down the left. João Félix burst into the area, driving at defenders and forcing panic. His cutback rolled to the edge of the box, where Mohamed Simakan stepped onto it and drilled a low effort towards the far corner.
Then came the instinct that has defined a career.
Ronaldo, alive to the flight of the ball and the smallest of openings, flicked it in from six yards, a deft touch that wrong-footed the goalkeeper and turned Simakan’s strike into his own. It was his 978th career goal, another number added to a staggering tally, another match decided by his movement in the box.
Simakan could hardly believe it. Replays showed his original shot was arrowing towards the bottom corner and likely destined for the net. Ronaldo had stolen it on the line, wheeling away in celebration as the defender stood in disbelief, a would-be scorer suddenly turned provider.
Al Nassr didn’t care who was credited. The goal stood, the comeback was complete, and the league leaders had their fourth win from four to stay on top of the table.
The early-season pattern is clear: this team bends, but it does not break. And with Ronaldo still deciding games, how long can anyone keep pace with them?
