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Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Controversial Goal By Shooting Through Smoke Cloud As Al Nassr Beat Al-Ahli 4-3

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a controversial goal assisted by a cloud of smoke as Al Nassr beat Al-Ahli 4-3 in the Saudi Pro League.

Robert Summerscales

Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Controversial Goal By Shooting Through Smoke Cloud As Al Nassr Beat Al-Ahli 4-3
Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Controversial Goal By Shooting Through Smoke Cloud As Al Nassr Beat Al-Ahli 4-3 /

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals with his left foot to help Al Nassr beat Al-Ahli 4-3 in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

The 38-year-old has now netted 15 goals in 14 matches for Al Nassr this season.

Ronaldo's first goal in Friday's game was bizarre and a little controversial.

It arrived in the fourth minute when he fired a shot through a cloud of smoke inside the Al-Ahli penalty area.

The smoke was the result of a pre-match pyrotechnics display and it meant that many fans - and perhaps the Al-Ahli goalkeeper too - did not have a clear view of the ball as it rolled into the net.

Cristiano Ronaldo pictured (left) shooting towards a cloud of smoke moments before scoring a goal for Al Nassr in a 4-3 win over Al-Ahli in September 2023
The penalty area was full of smoke when Cristiano Ronaldo fired Al Nassr 1-0 up in Friday's 4-3 win over Al-Ahli / Saudi Sports Company

Talisca then added two more goals in the first half before Ronaldo netted again in the 52nd minute.

Al Nassr led 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 but Al-Ahli cut the deficit down to one on three occasions with goals from Franck Kessie, Riyad Mahrez and Feras Albrikan.

Friday's win was Al Nassr's fifth league victory in a row and it took Ronaldo and Co up to fifth place, ahead of Al-Ahli on goal difference.

Both teams are now three points behind leaders Al-Ittihad, who have 18 points from seven games. Al-Hilal are second with 17 points.

Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, Al Nassr and Al-Ahli are all owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and all four clubs invested heavily on new players during the summer transfer window.

Aymeric Laporte, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles and Otavio were among the summer signings on display for Al Nassr on Friday.

Al-Ahli's starting XI was also full of recent recruits, including the likes of Mahrez, Kessie, Edouard Mendy, Allan Saint-Maximin, Gabri Veiga and Merih Demiral.

Highlights: Al Nassr 4-3 Al-Ahli

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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.