Cristiano Ronaldo marked his return to competitive football with a goal on Friday, coming off the bench to help Al Nassr cruise to a 4-0 victory over Al Riyadh in the second round of the Saudi Pro League.
Al Nassr beat hosts Al Riyadh 4-0 at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, with the visitors in control from early in the match. Ronaldo was responsible for the team’s highest individual expected-goals contribution, as Al Nassr created five clear-cut chances to Al Riyadh’s none.
Saudi defender Abdulelah Al-Amri opened the scoring in the 18th minute, heading home a corner delivered by Brazilian midfielder Angelo. Angelo doubled the lead himself early in first-half stoppage time, turning in a low cross that Saudi striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan had missed. Joao Felix made it three for Al Nassr in the 58th minute.
Ronaldo, who began the match on the bench, was introduced in the 62nd minute under new head coach Ange Postecoglou. He had already forced Al Riyadh goalkeeper Borjan into a save and attempted an overhead kick before completing the scoring in the 83rd minute, spinning away from his marker to finish after being set up by a teammate. The 41-year-old stepped into the box and fired a low, diagonal left-footed shot past Borjan to seal the win.
In his 28 minutes on the pitch, Ronaldo had three shots, two of them on target, needing only 11 touches to influence the result.
The goal held broader significance beyond the scoreline. It was Ronaldo’s first goal since marrying longtime partner Georgina Rodriguez in a private ceremony in Portugal earlier this month, and marked his first appearance since Portugal’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The strike was also Ronaldo’s 977th goal of his professional career, with reports suggesting the Portugal international could retire once he reaches the 1,000-goal mark. The goal moved Al Nassr back to the top of the Saudi Pro League table.
The result saw Al Nassr reclaim first place from rivals Al Hilal. The win followed an opening 3-0 victory, giving Al Nassr a maximum six points from their first two matches of the 2026–27 campaign as they look to defend their title under Postecoglou.
