Cristiano Ronaldo made his return to club football on Friday following a contentious international break with Portugal, scoring the opening goal in Al-Nassr’s 3-0 victory against Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League.
The win moved Al-Nassr level on points with league leaders Al-Qadsiah, trailing only on goal difference after the eighth round of matches.
Ronaldo’s international break controversy with Portugal
During the international window, Ronaldo, 41, left the Portugal national team, for which he has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances. He issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday claiming that Portugal coach Jorge Jesus had not been honest about when he would play him in the Nations League.
Ronaldo previously won the Saudi league title in May with Jorge Jesus as Al-Nassr’s coach.
Match details and Al-Nassr’s performance
Ronaldo opened the scoring midway through the first half after Kingsley Coman’s shot was saved by Diriyah goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah, allowing Ronaldo to score on the rebound. This marked the 980th goal of his career.
Samu Costa doubled Al-Nassr’s lead just before halftime, with Coman securing the 3-0 win 13 minutes from time. Al-Nassr is now coached by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou.
Earlier, Al-Qadsiah defeated Al-Kholood 5-0, with goals from Dutch international Tijjani Reijnders, Italy’s Mateo Retegui, and Mexico’s Julian Quinones.
