Ronaldo fires Al-Nassr to comeback win over Al-Taawoun

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with his teammate.

RIYADH, Aug 29: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al-Nassr came from behind to beat Al-Taawoun and take sole possession of the top spot in the Roshn Saudi Professional League.

Al-Taawoun struck first in the 12th minute when Bassam Al-Huraiji reacted quickest after a shot came back off the crossbar, finishing past Al-Nassr goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi.

Ronaldo restored parity deep into first-half stoppage time with a powerful finish, before completing the comeback five minutes after the restart. The Portuguese star turned Mohamed Simakan’s effort into the net to give Al-Nassr a 2-1 lead and secure all three points.

The brace also took Ronaldo’s tally to 104 league goals for Al-Nassr, making him the club’s all-time leading scorer in the competition.

Al-Nassr now has 12 points from four matches and sits top of the standings with a perfect record. Al-Taawoun remains 15th with two draws and two defeats.

Al-Hilal produced a stunning first-half performance to beat Al-Khaleej 5-1 and move into second place.

Mohamed Kader Meite opened the scoring in the 15th minute, while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic doubled the advantage in the 29th.

Al-Khaleej pulled one back through Saleh Al-Amri in the 38th minute, but Al-Hilal responded immediately as Theo Hernandez restored their two-goal lead two minutes later.

Crysencio Summerville added a fourth in the 43rd minute before Sultan Mandash completed the scoring in stoppage time.

Al-Hilal moved to nine points, three behind leaders Al-Nassr, and will face Al-Ahli next week in a postponed match from the previous round. Al-Khaleej remains 13th on three points.