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Cristiano Ronaldo produced a sensational second-half performance, scoring three goals in just 15 minutes to inspire Al-Nassr to an entertaining 5-3 victory over Al-Kholood.
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Ronaldo took his career tally to 985 official senior goals following his latest treble, leaving him just 15 goals away from becoming the first footballer to reach the historic 1,000-goal milestone.
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Al-Nassr forward João Félix delivered an outstanding performance, registering four assists in the five-goal victory to become only the third player to record four assists in a single Saudi Pro League match.
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Following his impressive performance, Ronaldo took to Instagram to celebrate the victory and his first hat-trick in two years.
October 30, (THEWILL) – Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick in two years to lead Al-Nassr to a 5-3 win over Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday.
The 41-year-old Portuguese captain scored three times in 15 minutes to inspire Al-Nassr to victory at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, taking his career goal tally to 985.
Julien Domingues gave Al-Kholood in the 16th minute, but Al-Nassr responded eight minutes later when Ângelo Gabriel restored parity.
Sadio Mané then put the hosts ahead in the 38th minute, converting another opportunity created by Portuguese forward João Félix.
Al-Kholood equalised through Antoine Loic Essomba Bikoula in first-half stoppage time to send both teams into the break at 2-2.
It was a frustrating first-half for Ronaldo after his two goals were ruled out for offside.
However, he enjoyed a blissful second half with three goals in 15 minutes.
Ronaldo gave Al-Nassr the lead in the 66th minute when he finished off a João Felix’s cutback.
Six minutes later, he made it 4-2 with a glancing header before completing his hat-trick in the 81st minute.
João Felix recorded four assists in the encounter to become only the third player to achieve the feat in a Saudi Pro League match after Youssef El Kaddioui, and Moussa Diaby.
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Ronaldo had an eventful game, recording six shots, with four on target, while registering an impressive 1.97 expected goals (xG).
He has now scored his 67th career hat-trick.
He has scored seven of his hat-tricks for Al-Nassr – along with 44 for Real Madrid, 10 for Portugal and three each at Manchester United and Juventus.
He is now 15 goals away from becoming the first footballer to reach the remarkable 1,000-goal milestone in official senior matches.
He took to social media to celebrate his latest treble, his first in two years.
Ronaldo wrote on Instagram: “Great win, great team performance. Happy to help with a hat-trick!”
The victory propelled Al-Nassr to second position on the log with 28 points despite playing a game less than the leaders Al Qadsiah, who also have the same number of points.
Al-Nassr will return to action against Pakhtakor in the AFC Champions League on Monday.
Ronaldo has scored seven goals for Al-Nassr in all competitions this season, six in the Saudi Pro League and one in the AFC Champions League.
