RIYADH — Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 980th goal of his career as Al Nassr cruised to a 3-0 victory over Diriyah Club on Friday, moving level on points at the top of the Roshn Saudi League standings.
The Portuguese superstar opened the scoring in the 23rd minute at Al Awwal Park before Samu Costa and Kingsley Coman completed a comfortable victory for the defending champions.
The result marked Al Nassr’s sixth win in eight league matches this season and provided an impressive return to domestic action following the three-week international break.
Ronaldo broke the deadlock after Diriyah goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah parried Coman’s effort into his path, allowing the 41-year-old to finish from close range.
The goal took the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to 980 career goals, leaving him just 20 short of the unprecedented 1,000-goal milestone.
“Job done. On to the next one!” Ronaldo wrote on social media after the match.
Al Nassr supporters had earlier paid tribute to their captain, unveiling a giant banner in the eighth minute bearing the message: “Greatness Is Earned. CR7.”
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 36th minute when Costa connected with Joao Felix’s corner, directing a downward header beyond Abdullah.
Felix, last season’s RSL Player of the Season, nearly added a third before halftime after Ronaldo played him through, but the Portuguese midfielder failed to convert.
Al Nassr continued to control proceedings after the break and sealed the victory in the 77th minute.
Sadio Mane launched a counterattack with a pass to Coman, who raced clear of the Diriyah defense before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
The victory lifted Ange Postecoglou’s side to second place on 19 points, level with leaders Al Qadsiah, who earlier recorded a commanding 5-0 away victory over Al Kholood.
Postecoglou praised his players for their performance as Al Nassr resumed their pursuit of a second consecutive league title.
“I thought it was a good performance,” the Australian manager said. “Obviously, it is always good to win and we scored three good goals, kept a clean sheet.
“In general, I thought it was a really good, strong performance and against a difficult opponent, so I’m happy.”
Source: Saudi Gazette