Cristiano Ronaldo Nears 1,000-Goal Milestone with Al Nassr After Portugal Row

Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a happy return to Riyadh following a troubled international break, scoring his 980th career goal to help Al Nassr secure a 3-0 victory over Diriyah at Al Awwal Park.

The 41-year-old striker bounced back quickly from recent controversies, opening the scoring in the 23rd minute by pouncing on a loose ball to fire into an empty net after Kingsley Coman's shot was saved. The performance came amid ongoing European speculation regarding a potential suspension from the Portugal national team following a public fallout with coach Jorge Jesus.

Despite the off-field drama and a cancelled early goal for offside, Ronaldo received strong backing from Al Nassr fans, who displayed a massive banner in the eighth minute reading: "Greatness Is Earned. CR7." Ronaldo also created early chances for Sadio Mane and Samu Costa before scoring, while Costa later added a second goal for Al Nassr.

The comfortable victory also eased the pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou following a recent stall in the team's form, moving Al Nassr up to second place in the Saudi Pro League standings.