Missile threat halts Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League Clash, but Cristiano Ronaldo leads 3-1 victory to reach 981 career goals

Cristiano Ronaldo is just 19 goals away from reaching the 1000-goal tally. (Image credits – CommonsWikipedia, License Details)

Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League Elite fixture against Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana was halted by an hour on Monday after a security alert in Riyadh amid missile threats targeting the Saudi capital by the Houthi rebels from Yemen.

Despite the highly alarming situation, the match eventually went ahead at Al-Awwal Park, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring in a 3-1 victory for the Saudi side and taking his career goal tally to 981 goals.

The 41-year-old is now just 19 goals away from becoming the first player in history to score 1000 career goals.

The scheduled kick-off was postponed after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued a safety warning shortly before the game over frequent missile attacks from Yemen.

Explosions were heard across the city. Once the authorities confirmed that the immediate danger had passed, the fixture was allowed to proceed.

Amidst escalating regional tensions and a series of attacks on Saudi, including a deadly strike on King Khalid International Airport over the weekend.

The situation raised serious concerns about public safety, with spectators at the stadium initially remaining in their seats while officials assessed the threat. 

Once the game began, Al-Nassr recovered from the interruption to secure all three points.

Angelo Gabriel opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Ronaldo doubled the lead shortly before half-time.

Neftchi Fergana’s Alisher Odilov reduced the deficit early in the second half, giving the visitors hope, but an own goal by Anvarjon Gofurov later restored Al-Nassr’s two-goal cushion, sealing a comfortable 3-1 win at home.