Cristiano Ronaldo capped his year as the leading goalscorer in world football with another goal as Al Nassr continued their fine form with a 4-1 victory at Al Taawoun on Saturday.
Already assured of his place at the top of the standings, Ronaldo made sure by adding his 54th goal of 2023 with a header in injury time at King Abdullah Stadium. The 38-year-old Portuguese forward finishes ahead of Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane and Paris Saint-Germain and France star Kylian Mbappe (both 52 goals).
Erling Haaland may have run Ronaldo close but a foot injury in recent weeks left the Manchester City and Norway striker on 50 goals.
Ronaldo's goal on Saturday was his 20th in just 18 Saudi Pro League games this season and takes his overall tally since moving to the club to 38 in 44 appearances across all competitions.
It also completed a fine fightback from Nassr, who fell behind to Aschraf El Mahdioui's 13th-minute goal when the Dutch midfielder tapped in after Nassr goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi had saved his initial penalty.
Nassr got themselves level in the 26th minute as Marcelo Brozovic finished off a lovely team move, the Croatian midfielder running onto the end of Anderson Talisca's through-ball.
The Riyadh giants took the lead nine minutes later when Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte rose to head home Brozovic's corner.
With the lead established, Nassr continued to dominate and extended their advantage five minutes after the restart as Otavio capitalised on a defensive mistake to score from inside the area.
Ronaldo had several chances to extend Nassr's lead and add to his record but he shot wide after rounding the goalkeeper and then hit the post with another effort. His goal eventually came in the first minute of injury time when he rose highest to nod home Seko Fofana's cross.
Following the match, Ronaldo referred to his year-long goal tally and his late goal against Al Taawoun, writing on Instagram: "54 – I’ll say when it’s finished!"
The victory cements Nassr in second place in the Saudi Pro League table and provides a valuable three points if they are to have any chance of closing down Al Hilal; the runaway leaders hold a seven-point advantage.
Taawoun remain in fourth following a superb season so far, although back-to-back defeats have halted their momentum.
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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