Captain Cristiano Ronaldo tapped in the opening goal, helping Al Nassr secure a 2-0 victory against hosts Al Fateh in a late match of Saudi Pro League's 22nd round. This marked Ronaldo's return to play for Al Nassr.

In the 18th minute, Sadio Mane broke through on the left and delivered a low cross. Ronaldo made a run past the defense and finished with a one-touch right-footed shot into the far corner, giving goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco no chance to save. The Portuguese superstar immediately performed his familiar spinning jump celebration. However, this time he fell backward upon landing, a rare occurrence. Ronaldo still smiled brightly and celebrated with his teammates, especially Mane.

Ronaldo smiles after falling backward while celebrating the opening goal of the Al Nassr vs. Al Fateh match at Maydan Tamweel Aloula stadium, Al-Mubarraz city, Arab Saudi, on the evening of 14/2. Photo: Al Nassr

This was his 18th goal in the Saudi Pro League this season and his 962nd career goal. In the league's top scorer race, Ronaldo has 18 goals, the same as Julian Quinones of Al Qadsiah, while Ivan Toney of Al Ahli leads with 20 goals.

Besides the goal, the 41-year-old forward took three shots from unclear opportunities, failing to score. As early as the 34th second, he fired a shot that went wide of the post. Kingsley Coman also missed a clear chance, shooting over the bar from close range into an open goal, also from a cross by Mane.

Al Nassr squandered opportunities until Ayman Yahya sealed the 2-0 victory in the 78th minute with a powerful shot into the top near corner from the left side of the penalty area. This goal secured all three points for the visitors in a match with few clear chances.

This marks Al Nassr's fifth consecutive clean sheet in the Pro League, their best run since the 2014-2015 season when they went six matches without conceding. Ronaldo also made his mark with a 100% passing accuracy rate during his 90 minutes on the field. This victory puts Al Nassr in second place, extends their winning streak to six matches in the league, and narrows the gap with Al Hilal to one point.

Ronaldo returned after his main demands were met, including the payment of outstanding wages and the restoration of managerial autonomy to the club's board.

Previously, the 41-year-old forward had missed two consecutive Pro League matches to protest the club's and league's management and transfer activities. He was dissatisfied with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) for its lack of investment during the transfer window. Meanwhile, rival Al Hilal, also majority-owned by PIF, had strengthened its squad. During his absence, the Saudi Pro League had issued a statement emphasizing that no individual, regardless of their influence, could dictate matters beyond the scope of their club.

Hoang An