Al-Nassr continued to face difficulties when they were penetrated by Al Taawon in the 11th minute. Bassam Al-Hurayji took advantage of the opportunity to put the away team ahead, causing Ronaldo and his teammates to once again fall into a chasing position.
After the defeat in the early minutes, Al-Nassr gradually controlled the game and found an equalizer in the 5th minute of injury time of the first half. Same Costa took a shot from outside the penalty area, bringing the match back to the starting line.
In the second half, Ronaldo completed a comeback for the home team. Joao Felix broke through on the left wing before putting the ball into the penalty area. The ball found Mohamed Simakan and this defender launched a low-angle shot.
Ronaldo appeared at the right time, touched the ball at a distance of about 5m, changed the direction of the shot and put the ball into the net. The Portuguese striker then ran towards the stands to celebrate the goal. Slow motion replays show that Simakan's shot was likely to have gone into the goal if not for Ronaldo's intervention.
This goal helped Ronaldo increase his total career goals to 978. This is also his 131st goal for Al-Nassr in all competitions since joining the Saudi Arabian team in December 2022.
Notably, Ronaldo became the top scorer for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League with 104 goals, surpassing Mohammed Al-Sahlawi's record of 103 goals.
After the match, Ronaldo admitted that Al-Nassr did not start well but improved in the remaining time. The 41-year-old striker said that the team played at a higher speed, created more chances and deserved the victory.
When mentioned the scoring record, Ronaldo thanked his teammates and Al-Nassr fans. He emphasized that personal milestones cannot be achieved without team support.
They always support me and I am very proud of that," Ronaldo said about the fans' cheers.
Meanwhile, coach Ange Postecoglou believes that the tight schedule significantly affects the fitness of the players. Al-Nassr played 5 matches in 15 days and did not have much time to recover.
It was a difficult match and a big challenge, especially when we had too few days off. The players tried their best and did what was necessary," Postecoglou shared.
The Australian coach believes that he cannot demand more from his players in the current conditions, and highly appreciates the team's ability to adapt to continuous difficulties.
The 2-1 victory over Al Taawon helped Al-Nassr maintain a perfect record after 4 rounds, winning all 12 points and maintaining the top spot in the Saudi Pro League.
In round 5, Ronaldo and his teammates will be guests at Al Ittihad on September 5.
