Ronaldo wins first trophy with Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo has won his first trophy since his transfer to Saudi Arabia after guiding Al-Nassr to a remarkable victory in the Arab Club Champions Cup final.

The Portuguese international grabbed a brace in a 2-1 extra-time win over fellow Saudi side Al-Hilal on Saturday at the King Fahd Stadium.

The victory gives Al-Nassr their first-ever Arab Club Champions Cup title.

Let’s celebrate all night 😍🏆 pic.twitter.com/FLD6Imfim8

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— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) August 12, 2023

The game had remained goalless until the 51st minute when Al-Hilal’s Malcom crossed the ball towards fellow Brazilian Michael who put his side ahead with a free header.

Al-Nassr were then reduced to 10 players in the 71st minute after Abdulelah Al-Amri committed a last-man foul.

The Portugal captain, however, equalised for Al-Nassr in the 74th minute.

Ronaldo got his brace — which turned out to be the winner — in the first half of extra time when he pounced on a rebound off the crossbar and headed home.

Summer signings Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles featured for Al-Nassr while Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic played for Al-Hilal.

The 38-year-old former Manchester United player took to X to express excitement at winning the “important trophy for the first time”.

“Extremely proud to helped the team winning this important trophy for the 1st time! Thank you to everyone in the club that was involved in this great achievement and to my familly and friends for always being by my side! Fantastic support by our fans!This also belongs to you!” he wrote.

Extremely proud to helped the team winning this important trophy for the 1st time!
Thank you to everyone in the club that was involved in this great achievement and to my familly and friends for always being by my side!
Fantastic support by our fans!This also belongs to you!💛💙 pic.twitter.com/MGDxXc7AD3

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) August 12, 2023

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The Arab Club Champions Cup is a tournament played by top clubs in the region. The championship also includes teams from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

Ronaldo, who arrived in Saudi from Manchester United in 2022, failed to land a trophy last season after Al Nassr finished runners-up in the Saudi Pro League.

Photo credit: Al-Nassr/X