It’s been three years but Cristiano Ronaldo has finally managed to take another free-kick – and it could be vital to his Al Nassr title hopes.
He may be famous for his iconic stance before the strike, but his effort from 30 yards in a 2-1 win over Abha was his first since July 2020 when he scored for Juventus against Torino.
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Ronaldo was delighted when his free-kick found the back of the net for Al Nassr
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Ronaldo is desperate to win a title with Al Nassr
The set-piece goal leveled the scores with 12 minutes to go in the Saudi Pro League clash as his new club threatened to fall even further behind leaders Al Itthad.
Al Nassr had lost to their title rival in their previous match, seeing them move to the top of the standings.
But Ronaldo’s strike and then an Anderson Talisca winner from the penalty spot four minutes from time assured them they were only a point behind now in second place with nine games to go .
It caps off a decent weekend for Ronaldo as he was called up for the Portugal national team.
The 38-year-old was controversially in and out of his country’s squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
They were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Morocco, with Ronaldo scoring just once in three starts and two substitute appearances.
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It had threatened to be a frustrating afternoon for Ronaldo but Al Nassr finally claimed victory
It could have been the callback to his career with the Navigators.
But new boss Roberto Martinez has included him in his next group for the 2024 UEFA qualifiers with Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.
