The ageless Cristiano Ronaldo once again defied the ticking clock on Friday night, lighting up his 100th Saudi Pro League appearance with a stunning brace. After a month out with injury, the 41-year-old powered Al-Nassr to a 5–2 win over Al-Najma. The Portuguese forward was sidelined since February, and had missed Al Nassr’s previous two league matches and was also ruled out of Portugal’s friendlies against Mexico and the United States last month.
The match witnessed Al Najma, who have won only once in 27 league games, taking a surprise lead a minute before halftime through Rakan Al Tulayhi. Al Nassr responded swiftly, with Abdullah Al Hamdan and Sadio Mane scoring in first-half stoppage time to turn the match around.
Watch Cristiano Ronaldo’s 966th and 967th Goals
The visitors drew level two minutes after the restart when Felippe Cardoso struck, but Al Nassr regained control when Ronaldo converted a penalty in the 56th minute. The spot-kick was awarded after Al-Najma’s Abdullah Al Hawsawi was penalised for a handball inside the area.
The 41-year-old added his second in the 73rd minute before Mane sealed the win with a stoppage-time strike. After collecting a low cross from Nawaf Bu Washl with a delicate first touch, he fired home from close range. The second goal was initially flagged for offside, but a lengthy three-minute VAR review eventually overturned the decision, confirming Ronaldo’s brace and effectively ending Al-Najma’s hopes.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 966th and 967th goals 🐐 pic.twitter.com/n09lnRrdNw
— Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) April 3, 2026
Following the victory, Cristiano Ronaldo shared his delight over the performance on social media, posting pictures from the match and captioning them, “It’s good to be back! We move forward together!”
This marked the 13th straight league victory for Al Nassr that kept them top of the standings on 70 points, six clear of second-placed Al Hilal, who play Al Taawoun on Saturday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
