Al-Fateh 2-2 Al-Nassr: Cristiano Ronaldo FINALLY opens his account in Saudi Arabia

Cristiano Ronaldo finally opened his goalscoring account for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr during their 2-2 draw with Al-Fateh on Friday afternoon.

The Portuguese forward stepped up to convert a late penalty for the visiting side, having hit the crossbar and scored an offside effort earlier in the match.

Anderson Talisca continued his impressive form for Al-Nassr after scoring in the first-half – before later getting sent off – as Christian Tello and Sofiane Bendebka notched for the home side. 

It was the first time that Ronaldo has found the back of the net in Saudi Arabia since scoring two against PSG in a friendly for an All-Star XI.

The Portuguese forward hadn’t scored in his previous two appearances for Al-Nassr, but made sure to end that streak with his late spot-kick this afternoon.

Cristiano Ronaldo finally opened his goalscoring account for Al-Nassr in their 2-2 draw

The hosts took the lead against Ronaldo’s side in the 12th minute after Tello latched onto a cross and provided a neat finish to open the scoring. 

Ronaldo then had the ball in the back of the net, only for his effort to be ruled out by the linesman. Replays did show that he’d strayed a few yards past the defence.

He then had a guilt-edged chance to open his account – and level the game – in the 35th minute but produced a shocking attempt at a finish.

Talisca ran through on goal and poked an effort towards the goalkeeper, which was tipped onto the post, and it fell to Ronaldo within the six-yard box but he failed to keep his shot down and it flew well over the goal. 

Luckily for the ex-Manchester United forward, Talisca did end up levelling the match shortly after, when he produced a neat finish from the edge of the area. 

And, just before the stroke of half-time, it seemed Ronaldo’s luck had truly ran out after he smashed an effort on to the crossbar. 

The ball fell into his patch, within the penalty area, and he took one quick swing with his left-foot before watching his effort cannon off the upright and bounce away. 

The Portuguese forward (middle) pictured warming-up with his team-mates on Friday

After the interval, Al-Fateh restored their lead through Bendebka. The forward hits a first time volley into the roof of the net to give the hosts an advantage.

As tensions were rising, Ronaldo found his name inside the referee’s book following a scuffle with one of the Al-Fateh defenders inside the penalty box. 

The defender had gone down clutching his head, which Ronaldo responded to by picking up his opponent and dragging him to his feet – resulting in a booking.

Minutes later, Ronaldo’s big moment finally arrived. After the referee pointed to the spot, the Portuguese star stepped up to the plate for Al-Nassr.

He made no mistake in dispatching his effort into the top-right corner of the goal before quickly picking the ball up and sprinting back to the half-way line. 

His body language suggested there was optimism in finding a winner in the match, although that never came and both teams had to settle for a point.  

 More to follow