Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second hat-trick in just 72 hours as Al Nassr dominated Abha 8-0 in the Saudi Pro League.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner netted three goals and provided two assists in the first half for the nine-time Saudi Arabian champions on Tuesday.
This was Ronaldo’s third hat-trick of the league season, following his treble in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Al Tai. The Portugal forward is currently leading the league with 29 goals.
Ronaldo’s first two goals on Tuesday came from free kicks. He opened the scoring with a low shot from a central position just outside the area, and then curled the ball around the wall from the left side.
He also assisted Sadio Mane for Al Nassr’s third goal, and completed his hat-trick with a beautiful chip from outside the area as he ran towards goal. There was still enough time in the first half for Ronaldo to set up Abdulmajeed Al-Sulayhim to score into an open goal from close range.
The star was substituted at halftime, but Al Nassr continued to find the target. Saudi Arabian international Abdulrahman Ghareeb added a sixth soon after the restart, and substitute Abdulaziz Al-Aliwa scored two more.
Despite the win, Al Nassr are still second, 12 points behind runaway leaders Al Hilal, with eight games remaining.
Al Hilal announced earlier in the day that striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, second behind Ronaldo with 22 goals, is likely to miss the rest of the season through injury.
Post from www.aljazeera.com