Cristiano Ronaldo etched another milestone in his illustrious career, scoring his 960th professional goal on Wednesday in Al Nassr's crucial 2-1 victory over Damac in the Saudi Pro League. The 40-year-old Portuguese international's goal helped Al Nassr narrow the gap on league leaders Al Hilal to four points.
Al Nassr took an early lead in the fifth minute when Abdulrahman Ghareeb found the net. Ghareeb showcased skillful footwork, wrong-footing his defender before calmly slotting the ball home. Despite the early advantage, Al Nassr struggled to extend their lead in the first half, with several missed opportunities. Joao Felix, Ronaldo's compatriot, came close, blasting one chance over the bar and smashing another off the crossbar. Al Nassr also had a penalty appeal turned down after a possible handball.
Damac also threatened, with a goal ruled out for offside and Al Nassr's goalkeeper, Bento, forced into making two good saves. Ronaldo, who had a frustrating first half, made his mark early in the second half. In the 49th minute, Felix played a through ball to Ronaldo, who calmly clipped it past the goalkeeper to score his 16th league goal of the season.
Damac responded in the 68th minute when Jamal Harkass headed home from a corner. Al Nassr managed to hold on for the win, though Ronaldo thought he had scored again late in the game, but it was ruled offside.
Ronaldo, who is also the leading men's international scorer with 143 goals in 225 games for Portugal, has stated his ambition to reach 1,000 career goals before retiring.
