Cristiano Ronaldo spent the closing minutes on the Al Nassr bench, withdrawn following a nasty-looking knock to his knee, but soon he was jumping for joy, success the ultimate healer.
The Nassr captain, runner-up in last season’s Saudi Pro League, is a winner once more, adding the King Salman Club Cup to an already-impressive trophy cabinet.
It may not have been a European Championship, or one of five Uefa Champions Leagues, or any of the seven league titles plundered across Europe’s lead domestic competitions.
Yet, try telling Ronaldo that. Off via the medical buggy at the tail-end of extra-time in a dramatic final against Riyadh rivals Al Hilal in Taif on Saturday, he cast aside the apparent pain to leap into the air upon full-time and bounce with jubilant teammates.
By then, Ronaldo had bent another match to his will. He struck both Nassr’s goals in the come-from-behind, 2-1 win; the first with 16 minutes remaining and the decisive deep into the opening period of extra-time.
With six goals, Ronaldo finished the tournament top-scorer by some way, match-winning contributions racked up as the campaign grew ever more important.
Nassr, down to 10 men with 25 minutes of normal play remaining, were Arab club champions for the first time, Ronaldo getting his first taste of Saudi silverware. This was perhaps not the time to remind, but his bid for a first league title with his current club kicks into gear on Monday.
That could wait, though. Friday night was for celebration, for the chants of “Campeones” and the “Oles”. Ronaldo leading his side to glory. Despite Sergej Milinkovic-Savic collecting the player of the tournament, it should surely have gone to Ronaldo. At least he had no rival for 'man of the moment'.
Cristiano
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