Cristiano Ronaldo moved on to 985 career goals with yet another hat-trick as Al-Nassr moved level at the top of the Saudi Pro League by beating Al Kholood in Riyadh.
Match Action and Goals
Ronaldo initially thought he had opened the scoring early in the match, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Al Kholood, managed by former Oxford United boss Des Buckingham, then capitalized by taking the lead through Julien Domingues.
The hosts responded before halftime by scoring twice within a span of 14 minutes. Brazilian midfielder Angelo first equalized for Al-Nassr, and former Liverpool player Sadio Mane subsequently scored to completely flip the match around.
Antoin Essomba brought Al Kholood level again during first-half stoppage time, setting the stage for Ronaldo to dominate the second half. Former Chelsea forward Joao Felix drove into the penalty area to set up Ronaldo for an easy tap-in, marking Felix’s third assist of the fixture.
Ronaldo then leaped high to power in a header from another Felix delivery, extending the advantage to 4-2. The Portuguese star completed his hat-trick and secured Al-Nassr’s fifth goal by converting a pass from Mane inside the box, before Domingues scored a consolation goal for Al Kholood via a 94th-minute penalty.
