A fine third goal from Cristiano Ronaldo helped Al Nassr come from two goals down to beat Al-Shabab 3-2 and keep their title challenge alive.
Cristiano Ronaldo insists he and the team always believed in the victory against Al-Shabab on Tuesday, even when they were 2-0 down in the Riyadh derby.
In the opening 40 minutes of the match, Al-Shabab took a two-goal lead. Cristian Guanca scored both goals for the away side. It left Al Nassr in a precarious situation, with their title hopes well and truly on the line.
But goals from Anderson Talisca and Abdulrahman Ghareeb leveled the scoreline before Ronaldo dribbled past two defenders and curled a shot into the top corner of the net to complete a 3-2 comeback win.
“The team played a fantastic game. Being behind 2-0 is very difficult but we believed till the end and we scored three goals. The support was amazing today, so we are very happy.” Ronaldo told SSC TV.
The Portuguese icon also thanked the supporters on social media afterward with a message that read: “Great team spirit to come back and win it! Big thank you to the fans that stood with us when we most needed!”
The victory left the second-placed Al Nassr three points behind Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad in the standings, with two games remaining. Dinko Jelicic’s side return to action on Saturday away to Ettifaq in Dammam.
Great team spirit to come back and win it!
Big thank you to the fans that stood with us when we most needed ! 🙌🏻 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/juwdTz5HUW— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) May 23, 2023