Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates emphatically after netting a free-kick goal in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 win (Ronaldo Instagram)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a free-kick from nearly 30 yards to net his first set-piece goal after almost 3 years in Al-Nassr’s 2-1 win
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a direct freekick after nearly 3 years as he inspired Al-Nassr to a comeback 2-1 win over Abha in the Saudi Pro League.
Rudi Garcia’s Nassr were in action against Abha on Saturday as they hoped to cut the gap to the Saudi Pro League table toppers Al-Ittihad however, things didn’t go smooth sailing as Ronaldo’s side fell behind in the 20th minute.
As the club trailed 0-1, Ronaldo would prove to be the difference maker as he helped his club come back on level terms. The 38-year-old nailed a sublime freekick from 30 yards in the 77th minute to get his side back at level pegging.
The former Manchester United star forward beat Abha goalkeeper David Epassy but rattling home an effort into the bottom corner. In the aftermath, he celebrated the goal with wild celebrations, having not netted a direct free-kick goal in nearly 3 years.
Watch Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick goal for Al-Nassr:
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had last scored a freekick while he was still playing for Juventus. He scored from the set-piece against Juventus’ city rivals Torino in a 4-1 victory back in July 2020.
In total, Ronaldo has scored 56 free-kicks in his illustrious career, including the effort against Abha. As fate would have it, Al-Nassr’s opponents were reduced to 10 men and they were awarded a penalty in the 86th minute, which Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca scored to complete the comeback.
Many fans on social media lauded Ronaldo for his selflessness as he allowed Talisca to remain in the race for the golden boot by scoring the penalty and not taking the spot-kick himself.
After the 2-1 win by Al-Nassr, CR7 was pleased and posted a series of pictures on social media.
“Great to get the win and so happy to score here in our stadium with our fans!” wrote Ronaldo.
The victory keeps Al-Nassr within one point of table toppers Al-Ittihad after 21 league outings. Ronaldo will next be seen in action after the international break on April 5 when his club travels to second-bottom Al-Adalah.
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