Saudi Arabia 39-year-old striker Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a penalty kick as Al Nassr beat hosts Al Shabab 3-2 in round 21 of the Pro League.
In the 18th minute, the referee stopped the match so he could go to the sideline to review the situation where the ball hit the hand of home defender Iago Santos, from a shot by an Al Nassr player. Without wasting much time watching, he blew the whistle for a penalty for the away team. Of course, captain Ronaldo took the penalty kick, sending the ball to the left corner, giving goalkeeper Hamad Al Absi no chance to block it.
Ronaldo celebrates the opening goal for Al Nassr at Al Shabab Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, round 21 of the Pro League on the evening of February 25, 2024. Photo: ANFC
Ronaldo continues to show his impressive penalty-taking ability, as he has not missed a penalty for more than two years. The last time he missed a penalty was when he was playing for Man Utd, in the match against Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the FA Cup on February 4, 2022. Since then, he has scored 18 consecutive penalties, without missing a single one.
The Portuguese superstar also scored for the sixth consecutive match in the Saudi League. In the last 10 rounds, he has also scored in nine matches, only being silent when Al Nassr lost 0-3 to the leaders Al Hilal on December 2. Al Hilal are currently leading the table, four points ahead of Al Nassr, having played one game less.
Apart from the penalty, Ronaldo did not have many chances to show his ability as Al Shabab kept the ball firmly. He only had one other chance to shoot in the match, but the ball was not on target. According to Sofascore statistics, Ronaldo touched the ball 30 times in the match, lost the ball 10 times and made seven wrong passes.
Al Nassr took the lead twice, but the home team equalized both times. After Al Shabab scored the second goal, the home crowd lit red flares and chanted Messi's name repeatedly. When Ronaldo heard these chants, he threw up his hands in frustration.
Despite Ronaldo being locked down, Al Nassr still have striker Anderson Talisca. The Brazilian scored twice to give the visitors a 3-2 victory. Al Nassr have now won nine official matches in a row in all competitions, keeping their title hopes alive. But to do that, they will need Al Hilal to stumble a few more times.
Xuan Binh
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