Cristiano Ronaldo Scores 981st Career Goal as Al Nassr Beat Neftchi 3-1

Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo moved closer to the historic 1,000-goal milestone after scoring his 981st career goal in Al Nassr’s 3-1 victory over Neftchi Fergana in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday.

The match at Al-Awwal Park was reportedly delayed by approximately an hour following a security alert issued before kick-off. Play eventually began after authorities addressed the immediate concerns.

Al Nassr took the lead through Angelo Gabriel in the 33rd minute, before Ronaldo doubled the advantage in the 42nd minute. Neftchi fought back when Alisher Odilov scored in the 51st minute, reducing the deficit and raising hopes of a comeback.

However, the visitors suffered a setback when Ikromjon Alibaev was reportedly sent off in the 65th minute. Al Nassr capitalised on their numerical advantage, with an own goal by Anvarjon Gofurov in the 78th minute sealing the victory.

The result offered an important response from Al Nassr following their 4-0 defeat against Al Ain in their opening match of the competition. Ronaldo later celebrated the win on Instagram, writing, “Important win tonight. We keep building.”

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is facing disciplinary proceedings from the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) following his early departure from the national team camp during the UEFA Nations League.

The 41-year-old reportedly left the camp 24 hours before Portugal’s match against Denmark after being benched against Norway. The incident has reportedly intensified tensions between Ronaldo and head coach Jorge Jesus over his role in the national setup.

The federation has imposed a provisional, non-automatic suspension while the investigation continues. The case has been classified as urgent and referred to its disciplinary investigation committee.

Under the FPF’s regulations, Ronaldo could face a suspension of one to six months and a fine of €500 to €1,000 if his departure is deemed unjustified. No final punishment has been announced.

Despite the off-field uncertainty, Ronaldo’s latest strike takes him another step closer to his ambitious target of 1,000 professional goals across club and international football.