Ronaldo scores 100th Saudi league goal, teaches 'Calma' celebration to the kid as Felix hat trick seals vital Al Nassr win

Felix treble and Ronaldo milestone fire Al Nassr closer to Saudi title

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Ronaldo celebrating his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Ronaldo celebrating his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo reached yet another historic milestone while Joao Felix delivered a hat trick masterclass as Al Nassr defeated Al Shabab 2-4 to move one step closer to the Saudi Pro League title on Thursday night.

Before the game, there was another beautiful moment involving Ronaldo and a little mascot as he taught him the “calma” celebration, and it was really cute.

The win pushed Al Nassr five points clear at the top of the table, though Al Hilal still have three matches left compared to Nassr’s two. That makes Tuesday’s Riyadh Derby on May 12 a potentially title deciding clash.

Felix was the standout performer with three goals, but the night also belonged to Ronaldo, who officially scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal. The Portuguese superstar now sits on 971 official career goals and is only 29 away from the historic 1000 goal mark.

Al Nassr flew out of the blocks and opened the scoring after just three minutes. A poor Al Shabab clearance from Sadio Mane’s cross fell kindly for Felix, who hammered a volley into the top corner.

Seven minutes later, the Portuguese forward had his second. Abdulrahman Ghareeb delivered a teasing cross towards the far post and Felix guided a header in from a difficult angle.

Al Shabab responded in the 30th minute after Abdullah Al Khaibari lost possession in midfield. Yannick Carrasco burst forward and calmly finished past Bento to cut the deficit.

The visitors nearly levelled before the break when Carrasco’s glancing header crashed against the crossbar. Early in the second half, Ali Al Azaizeh also struck the post with a low effort as Al Nassr struggled to regain control.

Ronaldo then produced the moment the home fans had been waiting for. In the 75th minute, he met Sadio Mane’s cross with a first time finish to make it 1-3 and bring up his century of league goals in Saudi Arabia.

Al Shabab refused to fold and quickly pulled one back again through Ali Al Bulayhi, who was left completely unmarked inside the box.

Any hopes of a comeback ended deep into stoppage time when Marcelo Grohe was penalised for catching Abdullah Al Hamddan while attempting to punch the ball clear. Felix stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to complete his hat trick.

The title picture is now becoming clearer. If Al Nassr avoid defeat against Al Hilal in Tuesday’s Riyadh Derby and then beat Damac in their final game, they will be crowned champions.

Al Hilal, however, still control the race themselves as well. Three wins from their remaining matches, including victory over Al Nassr, would be enough to win the title. In short, Riyadh derby is going to be the decider. Can't wait for that battle.