“Cristiano Ronaldo shines with a brace and Al Nassr secures a decisive victory.”

Cristiano Ronaldo returns in style: brace and Al Nassr thrashes in the Saudi Pro League

Cristiano Ronaldo is back on the pitch and, as always, he did not disappoint. In the match against Al Najma, the bottom team in the Saudi Pro League, the Portuguese forward showcased his scoring instinct once again, netting a decisive brace in Al Nassr’s overwhelming 5-2 victory, under the guidance of Jorge Jesus, who continues to dominate the league with authority.

After more than a month sidelined due to injury, Ronaldo was a starter and quickly took on the role of protagonist in a game that seemed challenging for the home side. Al Nassr controlled the match from the outset, but was surprised in the 44th minute when Al Najma opened the scoring through Al-Tulayhi, following a quick play after a pass from Felippe Cardoso, formerly of Casa Pia, with Portuguese player Guga already on the field due to Donga’s injury. The situation seemed adverse for Jorge Jesus’s team, who went into halftime at a disadvantage.

But what happened in the last minute of the first half was a true epic turnaround. First, Al-Hamdan equalized in the 45+8 minute, taking advantage of a cross from Brozovic deflected by Al-Amri. In the following minute, Sadio Mané advanced down the left, cut to the middle, and took a fortunate shot, seeing the ball touch a defender before beating goalkeeper Victor Braga, a former player of several Portuguese clubs such as Marítimo, Moreirense, and Famalicão, to put Al Nassr ahead 2-1 at halftime.

The second half began with another unexpected shock: Al Najma equalized just two minutes in, again through Felippe Cardoso, in a lightning counterattack that put the league leaders on alert. But Al Nassr’s response was quick and fatal. Cristiano Ronaldo, as always, converted a penalty in the 56th minute, awarded after Hawsawi handled the ball from a lateral free kick taken by CR7, thus reaching an impressive 966 career goals – a record that lasted only 17 minutes.

In the 73rd minute, the captain of the National Team scored again, this time with a precise shot inside the box, assisted by Boushal, extending the lead to 4-2 and confirming his triumphant return after injury. To round off the scoring, Sadio Mané netted his second in the 90+5 minute, deflecting a cross from Alnajdi for the final score of 5-2.

With this victory, Al Nassr maintains a solid lead in the Saudi Pro League, now six points ahead of Al Hilal, who have yet to play in the 27th round. Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to prove they are an unbeatable duo, and the return of the “Phenomenon” could not have been more decisive and electrifying.

This return to scoring not only confirms that Ronaldo is in form, but also that Al Nassr will not take it easy in the title race. The Saudi Pro League has a leader who means business, and the football world is watching this overwhelming return of the greatest goalscorer in history.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.