Cristiano Ronaldo showcased a vintage performance, netting two extraordinary goals to propel his Al Nassr team to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Qatar’s Al Duhail in the AFC Champions League. In this premier Asian club competition, Al Nassr, featuring former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca, secured their third consecutive win in the group stage. The scoring commenced in Riyadh when Talisca found the net from the edge of the box in the 25th minute. Ronaldo, even at 38, displayed his full array of tricks with a clever back-heeled flick to set up the goal.
However, it was his second goal that got the social media talking, as Ronaldo used his weaker foot to score an insane curler that gave Al Nassr their fourth goal against Al Duhail. With only nine minutes remaining, Ronaldo seemed to have the final word, racing onto a long ball from Sultan Al Ghannam and volleying it superbly with his left foot while in full stride.
The goal was reminiscent of Ronaldo’s goal against Everton, when he smashed a similar curler from his left foot to score his 15th goal for Manchester United in the 2007/08 season. Ronaldo had returned to United for a second stint in 2021 but left the club last year, following differences with manager Erik ten Hag.
Watch Ronaldo’s brilliant goal against Al Duhail:
Here’s a fan compilation of Ronaldo’s two goals – one against Al Nassr, the other against Everton 16 years ago.
Since joining Al Nassr, Ronaldo has been one of their key players and lifted his first trophy for the side earlier this year in the Arab Club Champions Cup. Ronaldo’s arrival in Saudi Arabia saw a host of high-profile players including Neymar, Karim Benzema, and Sadio Mane among others, moving to the Saudi Pro League.
“When you face Ronaldo, there isn’t much you can do,” said Al Duhail manager Christophe Galtier, who was in charge of French giants Paris Saint-Germain last season.
“He scored two beautiful goals. I’m at a loss for words to describe him. What he did today is extraordinary for a 38-year-old. He’s still the best player in the world.”
Another Riyadh-based side, Al Hilal, made light of being without their injured superstar Neymar as they thrashed India’s Mumbai City 6-0 with two goals from former Fulham front man Aleksandar Mitrovic.
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