Cristiano Ronaldo gave another demonstration of his enduring quality by scoring from a bicycle kick for his Saudi Arabian club on Sunday.
Ronaldo's goal came in the sixth minute of added time, with the stunning strike crowning Al-Nassr's 4-1 win over Al Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League.
The 40-year-old Portugal superstar was waiting to launch as a cross came in from the right wing.
As an Al Khaleej defender rushed toward him, Ronaldo leapt and twisted his body to crush an acrobatic volley into the top left corner of the net past a despairing dive from keeper Anthony Moris.
The striker then gave home fans what they wanted.
He ran towards the corner flag before delivering his trademark "Siu" celebration — leaping, spinning and planting his feet while bringing his arms to his side in a flourish that prompted a roar from the stands at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.
The big win extended Al-Nassr's lead at the top to four points over Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo, who moved to the Saudi team in 2023, has been a prolific scorer with nearly a goal a game — 85 goals from 87 appearances — since his arrival.
Ronaldo has just returned from international duty with Portugal, during which he was sent off against Ireland but celebrated his country qualifying for the World Cup.
His swinging elbow on Irish defender John O'Shea was initially given a yellow card, as the Portuguese great wound up the fans in Dublin by making a crying gesture.
However, a review by VAR found the foul worthy of a red card, and Irish fans responded by cheering and making the same crying gesture back at Ronaldo as he walked off the field.
If he goes, it will be a record sixth appearance in the World Cup, however he may miss his country's first one or two games at the finals, depending on any penalty he receives for the send-off against Ireland.
AP/ABC
