Al Nassr dominated their round 23 match against bottom-of-the-table Al Najima. Ronaldo opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 7th minute, marking his fourth goal in just three recent matches. Kingsley Coman and Inigo Martinez then added goals in the first half, giving the visitors a three-goal lead at halftime.

Ronaldo continued to make an impact early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, during an Al Nassr attack from the right wing, the 41-year-old forward provided an assist for Sadio Mane to score.

Ronaldo (left) celebrates the opening goal with Mane, at King Abdullah Sports City, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia on 25/2. Photo: Reuters

Five minutes later, coach Jorge Jesus began to substitute key players, including Ronaldo, Mane, and Joao Felix. Despite this, Al Nassr maintained their dominance over Al Najima, a team that had only secured one win in 23 matches played. Throughout the entire game, the home side failed to register a single shot on target, with an expected goals (xG) metric of 0,24 compared to Al Nassr's 2,81.

Inigo Martinez completed his brace late in the second half, securing Al Nassr's comprehensive 5-0 victory. This win brought Al Nassr's total to 58 points, placing them first in the league table, two points ahead of second-placed Al Ahli and three points ahead of Al Hilal.

Ronaldo's early goal increased his domestic league tally to 20, placing him three goals behind Al Ahli's Ivan Toney in the race for the Golden Boot. This season, Ronaldo has been involved in 26 goals in 25 appearances for Al Nassr across all competitions, comprising 22 goals and four assists.

Currently, Ronaldo has 965 goals in official matches, needing just 35 more to reach the 1,000-goal milestone. The Portuguese forward has also recorded 306 career assists. Compared to Lionel Messi, Ronaldo has 69 more goals but 99 fewer assists.

In the next round, Ronaldo and his teammates will travel to face Al Fayha, who are currently ranked 11th in the league.

Vy Anh