Cristiano Ronaldo Shines Again in Al Nassr's 2-1 Comeback Victory

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the decisive touch once again as Al Nassr kept their perfect Saudi Pro League record intact with a 2-1 comeback win over Al Taawoun on Friday.

Four games. Four wins. Same story: they suffer, then they strike.

Ronaldo, now 41 and still commanding center stage, led the line from the start after a chaotic midweek outing against Al Ettifaq, when Ange Postecoglou’s side had goalkeeper Bento sent off, trailed 2-0 at the break and then roared back with three late goals to win 3-2. That night, the former Tottenham manager even sacrificed Ronaldo in the second half to spark the turnaround.

This time, the Portuguese star stayed on for the full 90 minutes. The jeopardy, though, remained.

Al Nassr fell behind early, punished in the 11th minute when Mohammed Bassam Al Hurayji struck to give Al Taawoun the lead and briefly silence the away end. The league leaders were flat, second to loose balls, and again staring at a deficit.

The response came right on the brink of halftime. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Samú Costa pounced to level in the fifth added minute, dragging Al Nassr back into the contest and shifting the mood completely as the players headed down the tunnel.

The pressure finally told just after the restart.

On 50 minutes, slick work down the left opened Al Taawoun up. João Félix drove into the area, cut the ball back with purpose, and chaos followed. The pass found its way to Mohamed Simakan on the edge of the box, his low strike arrowing toward the bottom corner. Six yards out, Ronaldo reacted in a flash, diverting the effort past the goalkeeper to claim what was recorded as his 978th career goal.

Simakan stood stunned, hands to his head, as Ronaldo sprinted away to celebrate. Replays showed the defender’s shot was already on target and destined for the corner, but the slightest touch from the No. 7 turned it into his moment.

Al Nassr saw out the game from there, managing the tempo and protecting their narrow lead to make it four wins from four and stay top of the table.

At 41, Ronaldo is still deciding tight matches. The question now is how long the league can keep pace with a team that keeps finding a way back, even when the script starts against them.