"He is inevitable", "Mr Clutch" - Social media reacts as Cristiano Ronaldo scores stoppage time penalty to help Al-Nassr defeat Al-Shabab

Fans reacted as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a dramatic stoppage time penalty in Al-Nassr's 2-1 Saudi Pro League win at Al-Shabab on Friday (October 18) to move to second in the standings.

Aymeric Laporte had fired Stefano Pioli's side into a 69th-minute lead at the Al-Shabab FC Stadium in Riyadh. However, Ali Alhassan put through his own net in the 90th minute as a share of the spoils loomed large.

Ronaldo, though, had other ideas as he buried a 97th-minute spot-kick to give his team the win even as they ended with 10 men following the dismissal of Mohamed Simakan five minutes later.

Their fourth straight league win put the Knights of Najd just four points behind defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who have won all their seven matches so far.

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Meanwhile, fans reacted as Ronaldo - coming off a scoreless outing for Portugal in their goalless UEFA Nations League draw at Scotland in midweek - returned to scoring ways. One tweeted:

"He is inevitable"

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Another chimed in:

"Mr Clutch (followed by the GOAT emoji)"

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There were similar reactions from other fans, with one posting:

"Full-time: Al-Nassr get all 3 points courtesy of the Ronaldo winner."

Another made a note of Ronaldo's perfect penalty record for Al-Alami, which is now 19/19, tweeting:

"Cristiano Ronaldo has taken 19 penalties for Al-Nassr. He has scored all 19 of them."

One fan posted:

"Greatest Penalty taker in the history of football."

Another simply wrote:

"He is him bro"

Ronaldo has now scored 907 times for club and country, with 72 of them coming for Al-Nassr.

How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared for Al-Nassr this season?

Al-Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo has started the ongoing season on a tear. The 39-year-old has scored in all but one of his 10 outings across competitions, scoring nine times and bagging three assists.

That includes six goals and two assists in seven games in the Saudi Pro League, where - as mentioned above - Pioli's side only trail league leaders Al-Hilal by four points.

Ronaldo has also struck once in his lone outing in the AFC Champions League Elite. He has two goals and an assist in two games in the Saudi Super Cup, where Al-Alami lost 4-1 in the final to holders Al-Hilal.

The defeat extended Ronaldo's wait for a competitive silverware since winning the 2020-21 Coppa Italia with Juventus more than three years ago.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Bhargav