Cristiano Ronaldo sets Al-Nassr scoring record in comeback win over Al-Taawoun

Al-Nassr maintained their perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season by coming from behind to beat Al-Taawoun 2-1, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winner and becoming the club’s record goalscorer in the competition.

The result keeps Al-Nassr at the top of the table with 12 points from four matches. They have won all four of their games so far, while Al-Taawoun remain 15th with two points.

Al-Taawoun took the lead after 11 minutes when Bassam Al-Huraiji reacted quickest to a rebound inside the penalty area. Yusuf Al-Bahrawi had struck the crossbar with a powerful effort from outside the box, and Al-Huraiji followed up to put the ball into the net.

Al-Nassr were unable to find an immediate response, but they levelled in the fifth minute of first-half injury time. Samu Acosta collected the opportunity outside the penalty area and sent a low shot into the net to make it 1-1 at the break.

The decisive moment came five minutes into the second half. Mohamed Simakan’s close-range effort changed direction off Cristiano Ronaldo and ended up in the Al-Taawoun goal, allowing Al-Nassr to complete their recovery.

The goal took Ronaldo’s tally for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League to 104. That moved him clear of former Al-Nassr forward Mohamed Al-Sahlawi, who had scored 103 league goals for the club, and made Ronaldo the leading scorer in Al-Nassr’s history in the competition.

It was also the 978th goal of Ronaldo’s career. The Portugal international is now 22 goals away from reaching 1,000 career goals.

Al-Nassr’s fourth successive victory preserves their position at the summit and completes a match in which they had to overturn an early deficit. Al-Taawoun, meanwhile, were left without a win from their opening four fixtures and remain two points above the bottom position in the table.

The victory also ensured that Ronaldo’s record-breaking contribution came in a match where Al-Nassr showed their ability to respond under pressure. Al-Taawoun had taken advantage of their first clear opening through Al-Huraiji, but Al-Nassr equalised just before half-time and then moved in front shortly after the interval.

Ronaldo’s goal was ultimately enough to settle the contest and extend Al-Nassr’s flawless league record. His 104th Saudi Pro League goal for the club additionally moved him beyond Al-Sahlawi in the competition’s scoring records, while his overall career total continued to close in on the 1,000-goal milestone.