Cristiano Ronaldo returned to club football on Friday after a turbulent international break and scored the first goal in Al Nassr’s 3-0 Saudi Pro League win over Diriyah, his first appearance since leaving the Portugal squad. The result at Al Awwal Park put the defending champions level on points with leaders Al Qadsiah, who stay ahead on goal difference after eight rounds.
Ronaldo opened the scoring midway through the first half. Diriyah goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah blocked a shot from outside the area by Kingsley Coman, and the 41-year-old followed up to turn the rebound in from close range. It was the 980th goal of his career. Samu Costa doubled the lead just before half-time, and Coman added the third with 13 minutes remaining to complete the win for the side coached by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou.
The goal came only days after Ronaldo walked out of the Portugal squad during the international window. In a long statement posted on Tuesday, he said the national team’s recently appointed coach, Jorge Jesus, had not been true to his word about when Ronaldo would play as a striker in the Nations League. Ronaldo has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal over his international career. The pair have a shared history in Riyadh, as Jesus was in charge of Al Nassr when Ronaldo won the Saudi title in May.
Al Qadsiah kept pace at the top with a 5-0 win over Al Kholood on the same night. Dutch international Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring for the leaders, and Italy’s Mateo Retegui and Mexico’s Julian Quinones were also on the scoresheet. The two sides now share the same points total, with Al Qadsiah’s superior goal difference keeping them in first place.
Friday’s goal leaves Ronaldo 20 short of 1,000 in his professional career, a target that has drawn attention since the start of the campaign. For Al Nassr, the win kept their title defence on track under Postecoglou, who now leads the side that Jesus took to last season’s championship. Coman played a part in two of the three goals, with his blocked shot leading to Ronaldo’s opener before he scored the third himself. The result also gave Al Nassr a clean sheet on the night Ronaldo marked his return from the Portugal camp.
