Cristiano Ronaldo has won tons of trophies during his time in Europe but this was the first time he has touched silverware in the Middle East. The superstar won the Arab Club Champions Cup final, with Al-Nassr beating Al-Hilal 2-1 after extra time. Both sides fought to the end, but the 5x Ballon d’Or winner proved the difference, as he has done many times for his teams.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first trophy for Al-Nassr 🏆 pic.twitter.com/mtsbSh1ASE
— GOAL (@goal) August 12, 2023
Ronaldo scored twice on the night, with his first coming from a Sultan Al-Ghanam low-driven pass across the box in the 74th minute. It was set up on a platter for Ronaldo, who smashed the ball into an empty net. It was the equalizer for the Saudi Arabian club after Michael Malcolm opened the scoring at the 51st-minute mark.
Al-Nassr struggled to fight back after being reduced to nine men, with a second red card of the team going to Nawaf Boushal. One can even assume that if they hadn’t gotten a first red card for Abdulelah Al-Amri, the fight could have been a lot easier. However, it was Ronaldo who stepped in for his team once again.
As each side tried to find the breakthrough, Seko Fofana attempted to capitalize on a mistake from Al-Hilal. Unfortunately for him, his curling shot came off the crossbar. But Ronaldo was right there to bury yet another header in the 98th minute, which isn’t all that surprising considering he is one of the players to boast an insane number of headed goals. But it all came at a cost for Ronaldo, who had to be forced before the game ended.
When will Cristiano Ronaldo return from injury?
In the 112th minute, Ronaldo clashed with Al-Ahli defender Mohammed Jahfali after attempting to intercept a pass. It ended in heartbreak for the player, who could not finish the game despite scoring a much-needed brace for the team. He had to be stretchered off right away, with Ali Al-Hassan replacing him.
Cristiano Ronaldo in tears being carted off the field due to injury. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/22mwOrPnPn
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) August 12, 2023
CR7 was visibly upset, which is understandable considering the importance of the game on the night. Moreover, it left fans worrying about the soccer icon’s well-being and were eager to find out the seriousness of his injury. He seemed to have taken a hit on his left knee, but that didn’t stop him from celebrating Al-Nassr’s win after full-time.
LOOK AT HOW HAPPY RONALDO IS 😭🔥
— Janty (@CFC_Janty) August 12, 2023
The club has not revealed any details about the injury until now, the seriousness of the injury will have to be assessed before information is put out. With that said, Al-Nassr will face Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, and it would be possible that Ronaldo misses the fixture. Al-Nassr could choose to rest their superstar, but it all depends on the next few hours.