In a moment of high drama that sent Al Awwal Park into a frenzy, Cristiano Ronaldo cemented his legendary status once again by scoring a penalty well beyond the 90th minute to secure a 2-1 victory for Al Nassr over a resilient Al Fayha. The winning goal, which came in the 104th minute, prompted an ecstatic celebration from the captain, who sprinted to the corner flag, donned the traditional agal, and performed the Ardah dance, sending the home crowd into raptures.
In a moment of high drama that sent Al Awwal Park into a frenzy, Cristiano Ronaldo cemented his legendary status once again by scoring a penalty well beyond the 90th minute to secure a 2-1 victory for Al Nassr over a resilient Al Fayha. The winning goal, which came in the 104th minute, prompted an ecstatic celebration from the captain, who sprinted to the corner flag, donned the traditional agal, and performed the Ardah dance, sending the home crowd into raptures.
The victory maintains Al Nassr's perfect start to the Roshn Saudi League season, marking their seventh consecutive win and keeping them firmly at the summit of the table. Despite his unparalleled experience, the 40-year-old admitted to feeling the pressure in the decisive moment. “Wow - today my heart beat a little bit faster than before,” Ronaldo smiled in his post-match comments. “But this is good, this is my life. Twenty-two years of this, so I'm happy.”
The league leaders were made to work tirelessly for the three points. The match took an unexpected turn when Al Fayha's Jason finished off a quick counter-attack to give the visitors a 13th-minute lead. However, Al Nassr's star power eventually told. The equalizer arrived eight minutes before halftime, a product of brilliant interplay between summer signings Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman, who combined to set up Ronaldo for a expertly lifted finish past goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera.
This set the stage for the dramatic finale, with Ronaldo holding his nerve from the spot deep into stoppage time to complete his brace and seal the win. Reflecting on the challenging contest, Ronaldo stated, “It was a very difficult game. We don't create too many chances, [and] they defend very well. But this is football. We have to believe until the end. The team believe, believe, believe. Our supporters believe. We deserved to win.”
With the victory, Ronaldo's goal tally for the season rises to eight, placing him just one behind teammates Felix and Al Khaleej's Joshua King in the race for the golden boot. Yet, for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, individual accolades are secondary. When asked if he preferred scoring late winners, he clarified his ultimate objective: “Well, it's always good to score goals. I'm very happy to help the team to win. But for me the most important is we won. We are a team, so individual awards don’t matter. What I want is to win the league.” His focus remains firmly on guiding Al Nassr to their first RSL title since 2019, a goal that underscores his commitment to the club following his recent contract extension.
