Cristiano Ronaldo Pulls Four Goals Clear of Aleksandar Mitrovic on the Scoring Charts With Hattrick Against Al Tai
Cristiano Ronaldo now has 26 goals this season, with his closest challenger, Aleksandar Mitrovic, with 22 goals. Ronaldo’s three goals against Al Tai were all scored in the second half, with the match ending 5-1.
The two teams were evenly matched for the better part of the first half. Otavio opened the scoring for Al Nassr in the 20th minute, and just two minutes later, Al Tai was back on equal terms with a Virgil Misidjan goal.
Whatever hopes Al Tai had of getting at least a point from the match to aid in their relegation battle were quashed in the 36th minute when goalscorer Virgil Misidjan received his marching orders after a second yellow card. Al Nassr capitalized on the man advantage and headed into halftime ahead with a Ghareeb goal deep into stoppage time.
The second half was the Cristiano Ronaldo show, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner scoring in the 64th. 67th and 87th minutes to make it 26 goals for the season. The first was Sadio Mane’s second assist of the game, while the second one was the product of Ronaldo pressing the Al Tai defense and capitalizing on their mistakes. He completed the hat trick with a trademark header, ensuring Al Nassr remains on Al Hilal’s chase should the league leaders falter at any point.
