Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect second-half hat-trick to lead Al Nassr to a 5-3 victory over Al Kholood in their Saudi Pro League clash at Al Awwal Park on Thursday.
The win leaves Al Nassr second in the league table with 28 points, level with leaders Al Qadsiah, who have played one more match. Al Kholood remain 10th with 12 points.
Al Kholood took the lead in the 19th minute through Julien Domingues, who finished from close range. However, their advantage lasted only five minutes before Angelo Gabriel equalised with a fine effort into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Sadio Mane then put Al Nassr ahead, but Antoin Essomba restored parity for Al Kholood in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
The second half belonged to Ronaldo, who took control of the match with three goals.
His Portuguese teammate, Joao Felix, provided two assists within six minutes, allowing Ronaldo to score twice with simple finishes in front of goal.
The Ronaldo hat-trick was completed in the 81st minute when Mane picked him out in space inside the penalty area. The forward made no mistake as he finished to give Al Nassr a comfortable advantage.
Al Kholood earned a penalty in stoppage time, which Domingues converted to complete his brace. However, the late goal could not change the result as Al Nassr secured all three points.
Ronaldo’s impressive performance strengthened Al Nassr’s position in the Saudi Pro League title race, keeping the club level on points with the leaders.
