"Football god", "Silence the haters" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo scores in Al-Nassr's 3-2 win over Al-Shabab to keep title hopes alive
Al-Nassr kept their title hopes alive with a come-from-behind 3-2 win against Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday, May 23. Fans on Twitter were ecstatic as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a spectacular winner for his side in the 59th minute.
Al-Nassr found themselves trailing by two goals after Cristian Guanca scored a first-half brace, including a penalty. Anderson Talisca made it 2-1 for the hosts with a well-taken goal from inside the opposition penalty area in the 44th minute.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb equalized in the 51st minute. He received the ball at the edge of the six-yard box and fired it into the bottom corner after a neat turn.
Ronaldo scored the winner in majestic fashion in the 59th minute. After receiving the ball from Luiz Gustavo, the Portuguese forward left two defenders in his wake before firing a shot from outside the box. The strike curled into the side-netting, giving Al-Shabab goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu no chance.
Al-Nassr won the game and kept the pressure on Al-Ittihad, who defeated Al-Batin 1-0. Al-Ittihad have a three-point lead over Al-Nassr with only two games remaining in the season.
Reacting to Ronaldo's incredible strike, one fan wrote on Twitter:
"Beautiful goal silence the haters."
Another claimed:
"Worship him there Ronaldo is football God."
Ronaldo has now scored 14 goals and provided two assists since making his Al-Nassr debut in January.
Here are some of the best reactions from fans after 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner for his team:
|| Full time, 
⌛️ || Full time, 🔥💪
@AlNassrFC 3:2 #AlShabab
Ghareeb ⚽️
Talisca ⚽️
Ronaldo 🐐 https://t.co/T1f3Jxby7V
Ronaldo.
That’s it, that the tweet. https://t.co/BAHevmwsHi
@AlNassrFC_EN @AlNassrFC Siuuuuuuuuuu ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@AlNassrFC_EN @AlNassrFC Worship him there Ronaldo is football God 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Siuuuuuuuu open.spotify.com/album/618kx40M…" target="_blank" title="tweet-url" rel="noopener noreferrer">open.spotify.com/album/618kx40M… open.spotify.com/album/618kx40M…" target="_blank" title="tweet-url" rel="noopener noreferrer">open.spotify.com/album/618kx40M…
@AlNassrFC_EN @AlNassrFC Beautiful goal silence the haters
@AlNassrFC_EN @AlNassrFC Never doubt him
@AlNassrFC_EN @AlNassrFC Always the difference maker!
Portuguese coach Filipe Gouveia spoke about Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's impact on the Saudi Pro League
Since Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr, the Saudi Pro League's broadcast has expanded to 137 different countries across the globe. Due to his immense popularity, the league's presence on social media has also received a significant boost.
Filipe Gouveia, a Portuguese coach who helped Al-Hazm get promoted to the SPL, recently spoke about the 38-year-old's impact on the league. Gouveia said (via O Jogo):
"The arrival of Ronaldo was very important. Now we are talking about Messi. For us, Portuguese coaches, it was a fantastic bet and in the country there is a big difference in habits and situations in the cultural and social sphere from three years ago to now. You can breathe better, things are more open, and there are already three cities much closer to Europe. This internationalization of the championship with big names is stimulating."
Al-Nassr will face Ettifaq and Al Fateh in their remaining league fixtures. However, even if they can secure victories in both matches, they will have to rely on Al-Ittihad dropping points in their final two league games.