Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Saudi Arabia with frustration still close to the surface, but Al-Nassr offered the familiar answer: a goal, a win and another step towards the 1,000-goal mark.
The move
Ronaldo scored Al-Nassr’s opening goal in Friday night’s 3-0 victory over Al Draih, finding the net in the 23rd minute after Kingsley Coman’s shot was pushed out by the opposing goalkeeper.
The Portugal international had cut short his time with the national team following a disagreement with coach Jorge Jesus. Back in the Al-Nassr forward line alongside compatriot Joao Felix, he made an immediate impact.
Samu Costa doubled Al-Nassr’s advantage in the 35th minute before Coman completed the scoring in the 77th.
- Cristiano Ronaldo — opened the scoring in the 23rd minute
- Joao Felix — started alongside Ronaldo in attack
- Samu Costa — scored Al-Nassr’s second goal
- Kingsley Coman — created Ronaldo’s goal and scored the third
The French season around it
Coman, a familiar name to French football followers, was central to the result. His early effort created Ronaldo’s finish, and he later added a goal of his own to seal the three-goal win.
Ronaldo is now 20 goals away from reaching 1,000 career goals. Al-Nassr sit second in the Saudi Pro League after eight matches, with 19 points.
