"Give this man a Ballon d'Or", "One and only GOAT" - Twitter explodes as Cristiano Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr to 3-0 win against Al-Akhdoud
Fans jubilantly reacted on social media after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational brace to inspire Al-Nassr to a 3-0 win against Al-Akhdoud in their Saudi Pro League clash at home on Friday, November 24.
The Knights of Najd took an early lead in the 13th minute after Sultan Al-Ghannam brilliantly assisted Sami Al-Najei, who made no mistake from close range. Al-Najei was unfortunate not to score his second goal nine minutes later, with Vitor making a top save.
Al-Akhdoud looked threatening at times in the first half and thought they had a penalty in the 28th minute. However, their claims were ruled out after a VAR check showed there was an offside in the build-up.
Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net in the 74th minute, but his goal was ruled off due to offside. However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner wasn't to be denied just two minutes later, when his lethal strike from an acute angle found the bottom left corner.
The Portugal icon's second goal of the night in the 79th minute was a worthy Puskas goal contender. He rolled back the years with a delightful 40-yard chip, which found the back of the net to complete his brace and secure all three points for Al-Nassr.
Fans waxed lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo on X (formerly Twitter), with one fan posting:
"Give this man a Ballon d'Or"
Another fan wrote:
"He is too Good mehn. One and only GOAT"
Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 18 appearances across all competitions and is one of the most in-form superstars in world football at the moment.
Al-Nassr are now second in the Saudi Pro League standings with 34 points from 14 games, one point behind Al-Hilal, with the latter having a game-in-hand.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr vs Al-Akhdoud: Exploring the stats from the Saudi Pro League fixture
Cristiano Ronaldo led by example, inspiring his team to a stellar 3-0 win against Al-Akhdoud on Friday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Al-Nassr dominated possession with 71% of the ball. They also attempted a total of 681 passes with an accuracy of 90%. In contrast, Al-Akhdoud had 29% possession and attempted 283 passes with an accuracy of 79%.
Luis Castro and Co. dominated in attack as well, landing a total of 17 shots, with seven on target. On the other hand, Al-Akhdoud had eight shots in total, with five being on target, but they were unable to make the most of their chances.