- Anderson Talisca - 44'
- Abdulrahman Ghareeb - 51'
- Cristiano Ronaldo - 59'
- Cristian Guanca - 25' Pen, 40'
Cristiano Ronaldo scores stunning winner to keep Al Nassr title hopes alive
Cristiano Ronaldo scores the winner for Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab
Cristiano Ronaldo's 59-minute curler from the edge of the box gives Al Nassr a 3-2 win over Al Shabab in Saudi Pro League.
A stunning strike from Cristiano Ronaldo completed Al Nassr's comeback from 2-0 down to secure a 3-2 win over Al Shabab on Tuesday and keep alive their challenge for the Saudi Pro League title.
After Al Nassr had recovered to level the game early in the second half, Ronaldo drove past two defenders before unleashing an unstoppable drive into the net from the edge of the penalty box to take the lead in the 59th minute.
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Ronaldo's 14th league goal in 15 appearances was enough to give Al Nassr a vital win and, with leaders Al Ittihad also winning, keeps the Saudi Pro League title race alive going into the final two games of the season.
Al Nassr trail Al Ittihad by three points after 28 of the 30 rounds.
"The team played a fantastic game. Being behind 2-0 is very difficult but we believed till the end and we scored three goals," Ronaldo told SSC TV.
Earlier, it had looked like Al Nassr's hopes would be coming to a premature end when Al Shabab took a 2-0 first-half lead through two goals, one a penalty, from Argentine Cristian Guanca.
But Brazilian Anderson Talisca pulled a goal back with a first-time finish a minute before half-time to get the home side back into the contest.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb then leveled the match in the 51st minute with a smooth turn and finish from six yards before Ronaldo produced some familiar magic to complete the victory.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Daniele Orsato
Saudi Pro League Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ittihad | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | +23 | 36 |
| Al Hilal | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | +20 | 34 |
| Al Qadsiah | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | +11 | 28 |
| Al Nassr | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | +13 | 25 |
| Al Ahli | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | +9 | 23 |
| Al Shabab | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | +7 | 23 |
| Al Riyadh | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 21 |
| Al Khaleej | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | -1 | 19 |
| Al Taawoun | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| Damac | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 15 |
| Al Ettifaq | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -9 | 15 |
| Al Raed | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | -2 | 14 |
| Al Orobah | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | -14 | 13 |
| Al Okhdood | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -3 | 12 |
| Al Kholood | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -10 | 10 |
| Al Wehda | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | -14 | 9 |
| Al Fayha | 13 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -14 | 8 |
| Al Fateh | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | -13 | 6 |
Saudi Pro League News