Al Nassr kept their position on top of the Saudi Pro League table intact with a comfortable 3-0 win against Damac, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick. The Portugal captain now has two hat-tricks in his last three games for Al Nassr, and was once again in dominating form at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha, on Saturday.
In what turned out to be a rather one-sided encounter, the match finished in the first-half itself, with Cristiano finishing his hat-trick before half-time. Al Nassr have currently registered 43 points from 18 games, ahead of second-placed Al Ittihad, who have bagged 41 from 18 fixtures.
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Against Damac, Cristiano broke the deadlock in the 18th-minute itself, after VAR awarded a penalty to Al Nassr. Cheered on by fans, Ronaldo calmly rifled it into the net, with the goalkeeper diving to the opposite direction. Then in the 23rd-minute, Ronaldo made it 2-0 for Al Nassr, with a powerful weak-footed strike. Receiving a pass from the right wing, Ronaldo was surrounded by a lot of players, but scored a screamer from outside the opposition box with his left foot, shooting the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Finally at the cusp of half-time, Ronaldo completed his hat-trick in the 44th-minute. With Al Nassr on the counter, Ronaldo received a pass near the penalty spot, which he comfortably glanced past the opposition goalkeeper to make it 3-0.
{{/usCountry}}Finally at the cusp of half-time, Ronaldo completed his hat-trick in the 44th-minute. With Al Nassr on the counter, Ronaldo received a pass near the penalty spot, which he comfortably glanced past the opposition goalkeeper to make it 3-0.
{{/usCountry}}Here is the video of Ronaldo's hat-trick:
Since his Saudi Pro League debut, Ronaldo has scored eight goals and is already joint-fourth with Feras Albrikan and Odion Ighalo in the Golden Boot race. Ronaldo's teammate Talisca currently leads the Golden Boot race with 13 goals. Al Nassr face Al Batin in their upcoming fixture on March 3, and Ronaldo will be aiming to add more goals to his tally, and try challenging for the Golden Boot.