Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 981st goal of his career on Monday night as Al-Nassr beat Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite — in a match that started an hour late after a missile alert in Riyadh forced officials to hold the kick-off.
The game at Al-Awwal Park had been due to begin at 9.15pm local time. Around 15 minutes before kick-off, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence issued a safety warning, and the stadium announcer asked the sparse crowd to stay calm and remain in their seats while the situation was assessed.
An Hour of Waiting in Riyadh
According to Reuters, Riyadh has been targeted in recent days by missiles fired from Yemen by the Houthis, and the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles launched towards the capital on Monday. Residents received phone alerts warning of a hostile aerial threat, and explosions were reported in the city.
USA TODAY reported that once authorities confirmed the danger had passed, the match was cleared to go ahead, kicking off at 10.15pm local time and passing without further incident off the pitch. The delay came two days after a missile strike on Riyadh's airport at the weekend, which had already put the city on edge.
It was an extraordinary backdrop for a group game, and it would have been understandable if the football that followed had felt flat. Instead, Ange Postecoglou's side settled quickly once play finally began.
Ronaldo Strikes Before the Break
Al-Nassr went ahead in the 33rd minute through Angelo Gabriel, whose deflected strike broke Neftchi's resistance. Nine minutes later came the moment the delayed crowd had waited for.
Sadio Mane crossed from the left, Aiman Yahya chested the ball into Ronaldo's path, and the 41-year-old turned and lashed a finish into the bottom corner to make it 2-0 just before half-time. The goal was Ronaldo's 981st in his career and his 134th for Al-Nassr since joining the club in January 2023. It follows directly on from his 980th goal for the club earlier this month, another reminder that even at 41 his output shows no sign of slowing.
Neftchi refused to fold. Alisher Odilov pulled one back six minutes into the second half, and for a spell the Uzbek side sensed an unlikely comeback in a game that had already produced enough drama for one night.
Red Card and Own Goal Settle It
The turning point arrived in the 65th minute, when Ikromjon Alibaev was sent off for a foul on Mohamed Simakan, leaving Neftchi to finish the match with ten men. Thirteen minutes later, Anvarjon Gofurov put through his own goal to restore Al-Nassr's two-goal cushion at 3-1, and the Saudi champions saw the game out.
The result is Al-Nassr's first win of this Champions League Elite campaign, a useful response after they lost their opener 4-0 to Al Ain on 15 September. For Postecoglou, it was a night when his players had to manage uncertainty, a long wait and a stubborn opponent — and still found a way to deliver.
A Strange Week for Ronaldo
The goal also continues a turbulent few weeks for Ronaldo himself. He returned early from Portugal duty during the international break amid a dispute over playing time, and the Portuguese federation has since opened disciplinary proceedings — a story we covered in our Ronaldo suspension report. His answer, as so often, has come on the pitch: two goals since returning to club action, and now a decisive strike on a night nobody in Riyadh will forget in a hurry.
After the final whistle, Ronaldo took part in the post-match celebrations with supporters, wearing a green-and-white scarf as home fans waved Saudi flags — a defiant, almost surreal end to an evening that had begun with air-raid warnings.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Football is meant to be an escape, and on Monday night in Riyadh it had to share the stage with something far more serious. That the match was played safely at all matters most — but Ronaldo, inevitably, still found a way to make the football the headline. Was this his most remarkable goal simply for the circumstances in which it was scored? Let us know in the comments.
