"Greatest big-game player", "How can you watch him and still prefer Messi?" - X reacts as Cristiano Ronaldo shines in Al-Nassr win over Al-Hilal

Fans on X have hailed Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored a brilliant brace during their 3-1 win over rivals Al-Hilal. The two sides faced each other in the Saudi Pro League at the Kingdom Arena on Friday, April 4.

The Knights of Najd looked dominant in the first half, with Jhon Duran being close to scoring on multiple occasions. They were rewarded in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Ali Al-Hassan found the top-right corner with an exceptional effort from outside the box.

Al-Nassr launched a blistering counter-attack in the 47th minute. Sadio Mane selflessly squared the ball to Ronaldo, who converted well past Yassine Bounou to make it 2-0. Al-Hilal halved the deficit in the 62nd minute via Ali Al-Bulayhi's header, however, Ronaldo dispatched his penalty in the 88th minute to secure all three points for his side.

Ronaldo was named the Player of the Match, securing a match rating of 9.1, per FotMob. The 40-year-old created two chances, won three duels, and landed three shots on target from an attempted seven (43 percent accuracy).

Al-Nassr fans were impressed by the Portugal icon's match-winning performance, with one posting:

"How can you watch Cristiano Ronaldo and still prefer Messi?"

Another fan tweeted:

"Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest big-game player ever"

Other fans reacted below:

"Ronaldo speaks on the pitch," one fan commented

"Watching Ronaldo play is football poetry in motion," another added

"Ronaldo absolutely schooled Koulibaly today by the way," another chimed in

"There are few things more beautiful in this world than seeing Cristiano Ronaldo play football," another insisted

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How did Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr fare during their 3-1 win over Al-Hilal?

Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Al-Nassr to a 3-1 win over their Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Hilal to stay alive in the title race. His side remain third in the table with 54 points from 26 games, seven points behind leaders Al-Ittihad who have a game in hand.

Al-Hilal dominated possession with 59 percent of the ball, completing 330 passes with an accuracy of 83 percent. In comparison, the Knights of Najd had 41 percent possession and completed 209 passes with an accuracy of 75 percent.

However, Al-Nassr were more threatening going forward, landing 18 shots in total, with eight being on target. They hit the woodwork once and created five big chances (xG of 2.37). Meanwhile, the hosts landed 16 shots in total, with three being on target (xG of 1.61).

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Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on April 5, 2025, at 1:55 AM IST. They are subject to change.