WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate Anderson Talisca scores stunning long-range goal for Al-Nassr in 3-1 win against Al-Raed
Cristiano Ronaldo was in the thick of things for Al-Nassr as they claimed a comfortable 3-1 win over Saudi Pro League strugglers Al-Raed.
Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca, however, stole the headlines with a stunning effort for Al-Aalami.
Al-Nassr started with Talisca on the bench for the game, with the Brazilian having not featured for nearly a month.
He came off the bench to have an instant impact for the side and help them on their way to claiming a fifth successive win.
Having gone ahead late in the first half through a Sadio Mane goal, Al-Nassr went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Manager Luis Castro opted to introduce 29-year-old Talisca at half-time, with the former Benfica man replacing Abdul Rahman Ghareeb.
Talisca, who was talismanic for the side last season, needed only three minutes on the pitch to serve up a timely reminder of his quality.
The Brazilian received the ball from Sultan Al-Ghannam a fair distance from goal, before shifting the ball and arrowing a strike into the top corner. Watch the goal here:
After Talisca scored his first league goal of the season to make his side comfortable, Cristiano Ronaldo added a third in the 78th minute.
Al-Raed pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 89th minute through Mohamed Fouzair as they lost their fourth game of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo inspires Al-Nassr to important win
Finding themselves seven points behind league leaders Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr knew they had to win the game to stay in touch. Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates delivered the goods for Al-Aalami to move up to fifth in the standings.
A win over Al-Raed was expected after the minnows had a defender, Bander Whaeshi, sent off in the first half. Following their defeats to Al-Ettifaq and Al-Taawoun, however, they know not to take any win for granted.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates will now move onto the next item on the agenda, a game in the AFC Champions League. They will face Iranian side Persepolis on Tuesday September 19th in Group E of the tournament.
After their Champions League engagement, Al-Nassr will return their attention to domestic duties as they look to challenge for the title. They will face fellow PIF-run club Al-Ahli in their biggest test of the season, so far. Cristiano Ronaldo will be keen to make an impact in both games as they are important to his side's ambitions this season.