Riyadh: Age remains just a number for Cristiano Ronaldo. The 41-year-old football icon struck his 978th career goal to steer Al Nassr to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Al Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League. The decisive second-half strike ensured Al Nassr secured their fourth consecutive win, keeping them firmly at the pinnacle of the league standings.
The fixture did not start according to plan for the table-toppers. Al Taawoun put Al Nassr on the back foot early on, drawing first blood in the 11th minute through a clinical finish by Mohammed Bassam Al-Hurayji. Stunned by the early deficit, Al Nassr worked heavily to break down the opposition’s defence for the majority of the first half. They finally found their lifeline deep into stoppage time when Samu Costa found the back of the net in the 45+5th minute, leveling the scoreline just before the break.
The defining moment of the match arrived five minutes into the second half, featuring a classic touch of poacher’s opportunism from the Portuguese superstar. In the 50th minute, Joao Felix initiated a swift attacking move from the left flank, laying the ball off for Mohamed Simakan. Simakan unleashed a fierce strike from the edge of the penalty area. Positioned perfectly inside the six-yard box, Ronaldo instinctively flicked the ball past the goalkeeper into the net. Television replays indicated that Simakan’s powerful drive might have already been on target, leading to a moment of brief surprise from the defender as Ronaldo wheeled away to celebrate the 978th goal of his legendary career.
Ronaldo’s stamina was fully on display as he commanded the pitch for the entire 90 minutes. This was a marked shift from Al Nassr’s previous outing on Tuesday—a dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Al Ettifaq where the team scored three goals in the final 16 minutes. Ronaldo had been substituted in that match, but his commanding presence until the final whistle against Al Taawoun underscores his enduring fitness and crucial role in the squad’s ongoing title charge.