Ronaldo takes centre stage as Al Nassr win after security delay

Cristiano Ronaldo held his yellow Al Nassr shirt in both hands and brought the Saudi emblem on its back to his lips. On a night when a security alert delayed kickoff at Al Awwal Park by an hour, the captain also supplied a more familiar image, scoring as his team beat Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana by three goals to one in Riyadh on Monday.

His finish in the 42nd minute was the 981st goal of his career, leaving him 19 short of 1,000. For Al Nassr, it supplied a valuable second goal in a match they needed to win after a bruising start to their AFC Champions League Elite campaign. The image of the shirt held to Ronaldo’s face gave the evening another point of focus beyond the scoring milestone.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued its warning 15 minutes before the scheduled kickoff. The interruption lasted an hour as the teams waited for the match to proceed. Spectators remained in their seats, with the stadium announcer asking them to stay where they were while the delay continued.

The Saudi led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh, and Civil Defence later announced that the danger had passed. The alert formed the immediate background to the evening, requiring the players and officials to wait before the sporting contest could begin.

When it did, Al Nassr had a straightforward task with considerable importance attached to it. Their opening match in the competition had ended in a four goal defeat at Al Ain. Coming home for the second round of the league stage offered Ange Postecoglou’s side a chance to put their first points on the board and prevent that result from becoming the beginning of a more difficult campaign.

There was an early complication when Kingsley Coman went off injured after 13 minutes. Ayman Yahya replaced him and would have a direct part in Ronaldo’s goal, giving the enforced change an attacking consequence that worked in Al Nassr’s favour. The injury itself remained a concern, with Postecoglou saying afterwards that the club would monitor Coman.

Angelo Gabriel made the breakthrough in the 33rd minute, his effort taking a deflection on its way in. Nine minutes later, Al Nassr put together the move that gave Ronaldo his opportunity. Sadio Mane sent a cross from the left into the area, Yahya used his chest to direct the ball towards his captain, and Ronaldo turned to drive his finish into the bottom corner.

The second goal also changed what Al Nassr could carry into the interval. After conceding four without reply in their continental opener, they had established a margin of their own. Neftchi’s Marcus Forss had a goal ruled out for offside before the break, preserving the home side’s advantage, although the visitors would find a way back soon enough.

Introduced at the interval, Alisher Odilov needed just six minutes to reduce the deficit. With much of the second half still ahead, a match that had looked comfortable at the break had become considerably less secure. Ronaldo’s goal now separated the teams, and Neftchi had time to pursue an equaliser.

The next major incident favoured the hosts. Ikromjon Alibaev was sent off in the 65th minute following a foul on Mohamed Simakan, leaving Neftchi to chase an equaliser with ten men. Anvarjon Gofurov then turned a cross from Samu Costa into his own net in the 78th minute, restoring Al Nassr’s two goal lead and completing the scoring.

The coach’s immediate assessment also reflected the circumstances surrounding kickoff. He said he had been concerned for his players and praised their response: “I was very happy with the professionalism they showed.” Simakan, who was substituted after the challenge that brought the red card, joined Coman among the players the club would assess after the match.

Ronaldo has already helped Al Nassr turn one major ambition into a trophy. In May, he scored twice in the victory over Damac that secured the Saudi league title and ended the club’s seven year wait for that championship. This season’s continental competition presents a fresh demand. Domestic success gave Al Nassr a title to defend, but it offered no protection when they travelled to Al Ain for their opening Asian fixture.

Ronaldo’s gesture supplies a distinct image of the evening. The palm tree and crossed swords on his shirt are the elements of Saudi Arabia’s national emblem, a recognisable detail brought into focus by the player who remains Al Nassr’s most prominent figure. Alongside it sits the more familiar picture of Ronaldo scoring, this time with a finish that helped his club recover its footing in Asia.

“Important win tonight. We keep building,” he wrote afterwards. It was a restrained assessment of an evening that had contained a lengthy interruption, another personal milestone and an important result for his team. After the wait to begin, Al Nassr had finished with the points they needed and Ronaldo had once again played a central part.