After seeing two earlier attempts wiped off for offside, Cristiano Ronaldo finally broke through for Al Nassr against Al-Kholood. He didn’t stop at career goal No. 983 or 984, either, the Portuguese superstar notched a hat-trick, soaring to bury a clinical finish for the 985th goal of his legendary career.
First, Ronaldo capitalized on a clinical counterattack led by Joao Felix. Just as Felix seemed poised to pull the trigger, he slipped a pass to an unmarked Ronaldo in the box, who slotted home his first of the night and career goal No. 983.
Ronaldo struck again shortly after, exploiting a lapse in Al-Kholood’s marking. Anticipating Felix’s pinpoint cross, he rose to meet the delivery with a thumping header into the back of the net, pushing Al Nassr‘s tally to four while logging the 984th goal of his career.
He completed the hat trick after Sadio Mane was denied his own brace by Al-Kholood’s goalkeeper. Mane pounced on the rebound, spotted a wide-open Ronaldo waiting in the penalty area, and squared the ball to the Portuguese star, who tapped in career goal No. 985.
Cristiano nearly added two more to his tally
The Portuguese star set an aggressive tone from the opening whistle, relentlessly hunting for opportunities. His first prime scoring chance arrived after Al Nassr forced a turnover high up the pitch as Al-Kholood attempted to play out from the back, but Ronaldo was flagged for offside before he could get a legitimate finish on the board.
In a nearly identical sequence with the match knotted at 1-1, Ronaldo collected possession and uncorked a stunning long-range strike into the back of the net, only for the assistant referee’s raised flag to wipe away the wonder-strike for offside once again.
More than two years had passed since Ronaldo last bagged a Saudi Pro League hat trick—and fittingly, that previous treble came against this very same club. Now, there is expectation as Ronaldo is just 15 goals to reach 1,000 career goals.
Key takeaways
- Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to reach 985 career goals for Al Nassr.
- Ronaldo had two goals disallowed for offside against Al-Kholood.
- The Portuguese star is 15 goals away from reaching 1,000 career goals.
