After nearly a month of rest due to a knee injury and absence from the national team gathering in March, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting lineup of Al-Nassr. Against the bottom-ranked opponent Al-Najma, the Portuguese striker's team actively controlled the game from the beginning.
In the first half, Ronaldo had some scoring opportunities but could not take advantage of them successfully, notably the close-range finish in injury time was promptly blocked by the opposing defender.
In the second half, Al-Nassr increased the pressure and Ronaldo soon left his mark. In the 56th minute, he brought a penalty for his team after the ball touched defender Al-Najma's hand in the penalty area. From the 11m spot, Ronaldo converted successfully, opening the score. In the 73rd minute, the striker born in 1985 continued to score the second goal after a neat handling and decisive finish from the near corner, completing a double on his return day.
The three points obtained help Al-Nassr maintain the top spot in the Saudi Pro League standings with 70 points after 27 rounds.
With these two goals, Ronaldo raised his total career goals to 967 goals. At the same time, he returned to the race for the Golden Boot title in the Saudi Pro League when he had 25 goals, equal to the achievement of Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli).
Although he has turned 41, Ronaldo still shows his ability to choose positions and finish effectively, continuing to play an important role in the decisive competitive phase of the season for Al-Nassr.
