Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Al Nassr’s starting lineup for an 8th-round Saudi Pro League fixture against Al Diriyah in Riyadh on October 9, 2026, scoring the opening goal in a 3-0 victory just days after leaving the Portugal national team camp amid reported friction with coach Jorge Jesus. Notícias ao Minuto reported that the 3-0 win lifted Al Nassr to 19 points in the standings, level with table-toppers Al Qadisiya.
Al Nassr Defeats Al Diriyah 3-0 at Riyadh Venue
Playing at home in Riyadh, Al Nassr controlled the tempo early against an Al Diriyah side coached by Bruno Lage. The hosts thought they had opened the scoring in the 9th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo put the ball in the net, but the assistant referee flagged the effort for offside. Al Nassr continued to press forward, with Ronaldo setting up Sadio Mané for a powerful shot that Waleed Abdullah pushed away in the 13th minute. Minutes later, Ronaldo delivered a header across the goal area to Samu Costa, only for Qasem Lajami to clear the ball off the line.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 23rd minute. Kingsley Coman fired a shot that goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah could only parry into the danger zone, and Cristiano Ronaldo reacted quickest to turn the rebound home.
Samu Costa and Kingsley Coman Score for Al Nassr
Al Diriyah nearly leveled the score around the half-hour mark when Boulbina drove a low cross toward Mbemba at the back post, but defender Íñigo Martínez intervened with a vital sliding clearance to deny the former FC Porto central defender. Al Nassr immediately punished the missed opportunity at the other end. João Félix swung in a corner kick in the 35th minute, and fellow Portuguese midfielder Samu Costa rose completely unmarked in the center of the penalty box to head past Abdullah.
The win was sealed in the second half when Kingsley Coman broke through on a counter-attack in the 77th minute. Instead of passing to an unmarked Ronaldo running alongside him, the French forward chose to shoot directly past Abdullah to set the final 3-0 scoreline. Already after Millot fired from outside the box for a great save by Bento into a corner in the 49th minute and João Félix inside the area forced Waleed Abdullah into a quick-reflex save in the 64th minute, Al Nassr rounded off the scoring with a precise shot from Kingsley Coman.
Standings Implications in the Saudi Pro League
The three points from the Friday fixture moved Al Nassr to 19 points after eight matches, pulling them level with league leaders Al Qadisiya. Al Qadisiya had earlier defeated Al Kholood 5-0 under the direction of manager Brendan Rodgers, with goals from Reijnders, Christopher Bonsu Baah, Musab Al Juwayr, Mateo Retegui, and a late penalty by Julian Quinones. Meanwhile, Bruno Lage’s Al Diriyah remained in ninth place in the league table with 11 points.
