{"id":2959,"date":"2025-12-31T00:58:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T00:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/?p=2959"},"modified":"2026-01-13T07:19:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T07:19:02","slug":"cristiano-ronaldo-scores-957th-career-goal-but-al-nassrs-winning-streak-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/cristiano-ronaldo-scores-957th-career-goal-but-al-nassrs-winning-streak-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"Cristiano Ronaldo Scores 957th Career Goal but Al Nassr\u2019s Winning Streak Ends"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"3\">Al Ettifaq stunned the league leaders on Tuesday night, earning a dramatic 2-2 draw against Al Nassr at EGO Stadium in Dammam and ending their flawless start to the 2025\/26 Saudi Pro League season.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4\">The protagonist of the evening was Georginio Wijnaldum. The former Liverpool midfielder turned back the clock, scoring twice to snap Al Nassr\u2019s perfect start to the 2025\/26 campaign and breathe new life into a title race that was beginning to feel like a procession.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"7\">The Ronaldo-Felix Connection<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\">The hosts signaled their intent early. In the 16th minute, Al Ettifaq ignited a clinical counter-attack that carved through the visitors, ending with Wijnaldum slotting home to give the home side a shock lead.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\">It was a wake-up call for Al Nassr, who struggled to find their rhythm against a disciplined Ettifaq block for the remainder of the first half.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"nl\">Gini Wijnaldum \ud83e\udd41\ud83e\udd41\ud83e\udd41\ud83e\udd41<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RoshnSaudiLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#RoshnSaudiLeague<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ouU7UPqRTu\">pic.twitter.com\/ouU7UPqRTu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Roshn Saudi League (@SPL_EN) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SPL_EN\/status\/2006061411726671942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">Whatever Jorge Jesus was said in the Al Nassr dressing room at halftime worked. Within two minutes of the restart, Joao Felix dragged his side level with a precise, low drive into the bottom left corner.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"9\">Then came the moment the Dammam crowd had anticipated. In the 67th minute, Felix turned provider as his shot took a decisive deflection off <b data-path-to-node=\"9\" data-index-in-node=\"169\">Cristiano Ronaldo<\/b>. It was the 957th goal of Ronaldo\u2019s storied career, a &#8220;predatory finish&#8221; that seemed to have secured an 11th consecutive victory for the Riyadh giants.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DS5yL5yDiS5\/\"><p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async defer src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"10\">The Fightback<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11\">But Al Ettifaq refused to fold. As the clock ticked toward the 80th minute, Radi Al Otaibi found space on the right flank and pulled back a perfectly weighted cross. Wijnaldum met it with a trademark low strike, rifling the ball home to spark scenes of delirium in the stands.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11\">It was a captain\u2019s performance from the Dutchman, whose energy and leadership ensured the spoils were shared.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13\">While Felix and Ronaldo continue to spearhead the Golden Boot race\u2014sitting level at the top with 13 goals apiece\u2014the result has massive implications for the table:<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"14\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"14,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"14,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Al Nassr<\/b> remain top, but the &#8220;invincible&#8221; aura has faded.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"14,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"14,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Al Taawoun<\/b> sit just three points behind following their 1-0 win over Al Najmah.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"14,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"14,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Al Hilal<\/b> could close the gap to a mere two points with a victory over Al Kholood on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">Despite the dropped points, Ronaldo remained defiant after the final whistle. &#8220;We are on the right path,&#8221; the captain remarked. &#8220;We know exactly what we need to do in 2026.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16\">For the first time this season, however, the chasing pack finally has Al Nassr in their wing mirrors.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Al Ettifaq stunned the league leaders on Tuesday night, earning a dramatic 2-2 draw against Al Nassr at EGO Stadium in Dammam and ending their flawless start to the 2025\/26 Saudi Pro League season. The protagonist of the evening was Georginio Wijnaldum. The former Liverpool midfielder turned back the clock, scoring twice to snap Al &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/cristiano-ronaldo-scores-957th-career-goal-but-al-nassrs-winning-streak-ends\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Cristiano Ronaldo Scores 957th Career Goal but Al Nassr\u2019s Winning Streak Ends<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-2959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories","tag-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2959"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2963,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2959\/revisions\/2963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spotvnow.com\/read\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}