Cristiano Ronaldo steered a 10-man Al-Nassr team to their inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup victory, netting twice in a 2-1 overtime triumph against fellow Saudi contenders Al-Hilal on Saturday.
Following his transfer to Al-Nassr, Ronaldo experienced a trophy-less season, with the team securing second place in the Saudi Pro League.
However, the 38-year-old impressively netted six goals in the tournament, clinching the tournament’s top scorer distinction on the path to securing the championship.
This competition involves elite Arab clubs from various regions, encompassing teams from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
The star-studded Al-Nassr lineup generated numerous scoring opportunities in the first half, as summer signings Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, and Marcelo Brozovic were all thwarted by goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais.
The match at the King Fahd Sports City stadium stayed goalless until six minutes into the second half, when Al-Hilal’s Malcom delivered a cross that was met by his Brazilian counterpart Michael, who headed the ball in to give his team the lead.
Adding to the sting, the 27-year-old even mimicked Ronaldo’s iconic goal celebration, sprinting to the corner flag and launching into the air.
This turn of events seemed to ignite Ronaldo, and the Portuguese captain levelled the score in the 74th minute by capitalising on a low cross from right-back Sultan Al-Ghannam, thereby extending his scoring streak to five consecutive games.
Al-Nassr defender Abdulelah Al-Amri was sent off in the second half before Nawaf Boushal was given his marching orders while on the bench for arguing with an official, but they held on to take the game to extra time.
Ronaldo then doubled the lead in the first half of extra time when he pounced on a rebound off the crossbar and headed home with the goalkeeper off his line.
There were concerns, however, when Ronaldo was carted off the field with an apparent injury after a collision in the second period of extra time — just two days before their Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Ettifaq.