Ronaldo nets 981st as Al-Nassr win delayed Riyadh tie
Al-Nassr beat Uzbekistan's Neftchi Fergana 3-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite on 12 October 2026, after a missile alert pushed kick-off back by an hour in Riyadh. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 981st career goal just before half-time. The win gave Ange Postecoglou's side its first points of the Asian campaign.
The game at Alawwal Park — listed by the Asian Football Confederation as King Saud University Stadium — was due to start at 9:15 p.m. local time. It was held for an hour as the security situation developed. The stadium announcer told supporters the situation was safe, the match would go ahead, and asked everyone to remain in their seats, according to The Guardian.
The Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a missile fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh that evening. It announced the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile in a statement on X. The Saudi Press Agency also reported that a Houthi-launched ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh was intercepted and destroyed, as noted by the Saudi Press Agency.
People in Riyadh received a phone alert warning of a hostile aerial threat. It told them to stay at home or in a safe place, away from windows and doors. Doubts about whether the match could go ahead had already been raised the previous day, as reported by The National.
When play finally started, Al-Nassr settled quickly. Angelo Gabriel opened the scoring in the 33rd minute to put the hosts ahead. Ronaldo then made it 2-0 just before the break to give Al-Nassr control at half-time, as reported by Yahoo Sports. That second goal was the 981st of his long career, according to The Guardian.
Neftchi pulled one back after the restart. Al-Nassr responded with a third to close out a 3-1 victory. It was a straightforward scoreline from a strange night.
The result mattered in the table. This is the AFC Champions League Elite, Asia's top club competition and the counterpart to Europe's Champions League. Al-Nassr had lost 4-0 to Al Ain FC on matchday one, so the win over Neftchi earned the club its first points of the 2026/27 league phase.
Ronaldo returned to club duty after a turbulent international break. He was provisionally suspended by Portugal after walking out on the national squad, according to The Guardian. His goal in Riyadh was a reminder of his eye for the decisive moment.
What makes this stand out is the contrast. Ninety minutes of normal football noise inside a full stadium while a city held its breath outside. For fans, this means a memory that will stick for reasons beyond the scoreline and beyond one more landmark in Ronaldo's count.
