In Riyadh, on a Tuesday night when Al-Nassr needed only one clean strike to overcome Neom, the attention still settled on Cristiano Ronaldo’s uneasy pursuit of a landmark. The Portuguese forward remained on 981 career goals after a difficult 1-0 home victory, passing up a penalty and two further openings that would normally have changed his personal tally.
Ronaldo, now 41, had the clearest moment of the first half two minutes into stoppage time. A free-kick was sent into the box, Sadio Mané redirected it with his head, and Ronaldo arrived at the far post with the goal exposed. From close range, however, he sent his attempt over the bar.
A second invitation followed soon afterwards from the penalty spot. Ronaldo placed his effort too wide of the target, showing his frustration after the miss. He stayed on the pitch until the final whistle and had another opportunity after the interval, firing narrowly wide from inside the area.
João Félix supplies the decisive touch
While Ronaldo endured an unusually wasteful evening, João Félix continued his productive spell in Saudi Arabia. The Portugal international broke the deadlock in the 61st minute, striking from outside the penalty area to settle a tight contest against Neom.
The result leaves the reigning Saudi champions third in the domestic league on 22 points. Al-Qadsiah lead them by three points, although the table-toppers have played one match more. For Al-Nassr, Félix’s finish carried the immediate value; for Ronaldo, the wait to edge nearer to 1,000 goals goes on.
