It hasn't happened often in a career spanning 22 years, but Cristiano Ronaldo had something of a point to prove tonight.
During the March international break, Ronaldo's Portugal beat Sweden 5-2 in a game the forward missed, and lost 2-0 to Slovenia in a match in which he played 90 minutes.
It's obviously not as simple as 'don't play Ronaldo and you'll win comfortably', but we've certainly reached a point where his international status is not quite as clear-cut as it was. We got a glimpse of that when Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 2022 World Cup thrashing of Switzerland in Ronaldo's absence before his return to the team saw them eliminated by Morocco. Ahead of Euro 2024, he needs to prove his worth.
He certainly did against Al Tai.
MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo's goal tally in 2023/24: How many does he have?
Al Nassr vs Al Tai final score
| 2nd Half | Goal scorers | |
| Al Nassr | 5 | Otavio 20', Ghareeb 45+7', Ronaldo 63', 67', 87' |
| Al Tai | 1 | Misidjan 22' |
Confirmed lineups:
Al Nassr (4-2-3-1, right to left): 26. David Ospina (GK) — 23. Aymen Yahya, 78. Ali Alawjami, 4. Mohammed Al-Fatil, 15. Alex Telles — 25. Otavio, 77. Marcelo Brozovic — 10. Sadio Mane, 14. Sami Al-Najei, 29. Abdulrahman Ghareeb — 7. Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Tai (4-3-3, right to left): 44. Moataz Al Baqaawi (GK) — 88. Ibrahim Al Nakhli, 27. Robert Bauer, 5. Enzo Roco, 3. Abdulaziz Majrashi — 30. Alfa Semedo, 26. Jamal Bajandouh — 11. Andrei Cordea, 43. Bernard Mensah, 7. Salman Al Moasher — 10. Virgil Misidjan
Ronaldo's three goals helped Al Nassr to a 5-1 victory that just about keeps their Saudi Pro League title bid alive. It also ensured the veteran forward remains the leading marksman in the division and keeps him on track to end the year as the world's leading male goalscorer across the most esteemed competitions, just as he was in 2023.
And his performance was a timely reminder to those who wonder how effective he might be when the Euros roll around.
Otavio opened the scoring with a cross that somehow found its way into the corner of the net, but Al Tai deservedly levelled through a stunning shot from Virgil Misidjan. The game swung on another moment involving the striker, who was sent off for a second yellow card after a long VAR check for what looked like an innocuous collision with goalkeeper David Ospina.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb ghosted in to score a good header just before the interval, but Al Nassr will not have been happy with their standards. Ronaldo, in particular, wanted more. He duly provided.
Two clever close-range finishes put Al Nassr 4-1 up and a typical leap and precise header got Ronaldo the match ball and gave the home side a fifth goal to celebrate. It turned into a bit of a party atmosphere in Riyadh, even though league leaders Al Hilal won a seven-goal thriller over Al Shabab to maintain their healthy lead at the top of the table.
As the local clocks ticked towards midnight, Ronaldo was still making runs, still chasing lost causes, even giving Sadio Mane a free-kick from a notably promising position rather than attempting a shot himself. It was an impressive performance, from a goalscoring and leadership perspective, and one that will do him no harm as he looks ahead to Euro 2024.
MORE: How an "obscene gesture" saw Ronaldo earn a one-game ban
Al Nassr vs Al Tai stats
| Al Nassr | Stat | Al Tai |
| 21 | Shots | 6 |
| 9 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 70% | Possession | 30% |
| 589 | Passes | 262 |
| 7 | Corners | 4 |
| 5 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red cards | 1 |
Al Nassr vs Al Tai lineups, team news
Al Nassr went as strong as possible for this game as they looked to reduce the gap to leaders Al Hilal.
Cristiano Ronaldo led the line, supported by Sami Al-Najei, with Otavio once more deployed in a deeper role.
Al Nassr lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ospina (GK) — Yahya, Alawjami, Al-Fatil, Alex Telles — Otavio, Brozovic — Mane, Al-Najei, Ghareeb — Ronaldo
Al Nassr subs (9): Al-Sulaiheem, Boushal, Maran, Alhassan, Qassem, Al-Nemer, Al-Najjar, Al-Aliwa, Aman
Al Tai's biggest threat generally comes from midfielder Bernard Mensah, who started as a No.10 in this game despite having previously played in a holding role.
Al Tai lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Al Baqaawi (GK) — Al Nakhli, Bauer, Roco, Majrashi — Semedo, Bajandouh — Cordea, Mensah, Al Moasher — Misidjan
Al Tai (9): Braga, Al-Harabi, Dugandzic, Al Toiawy, Al-Harthi, Al-Qumairi, Asiri, Fallatah, Al-Haizan
Al Nassr vs Al Tai live stream, TV channel
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Fox Soccer Plus | Fubo |
| Australia | — | 10 Play |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| UK | — | DAZN |
| India | — | — |
