Al-Nassr vs Al Kholood: Ronaldo hat-trick in 5-3 win takes him to 985 goals, 15 short of 1,000

Al-Nassr vs Al Kholood finished 5-3 on Thursday 29 October 2026, and Cristiano Ronaldo scored a second-half hat-trick that takes his career total to 985 goals, 15 short of 1,000. The win at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh moved Al-Nassr onto 28 points, level with the Saudi Pro League leaders, Gulf News reported.

It was the most searched sports story in Pakistan overnight, with more than 20,000 Google searches for "al-nassr vs al kholood standings" alone.

How the goals went

Al Kholood, the small club from Al Rass, took the lead through Julien Domingues in the 16th minute. Al-Nassr answered through Angelo (24') and Sadio Mane (38'), but Antoine Loic Essomba Bikoula levelled at 2-2 in first-half stoppage time.

Then Ronaldo took over:

1. 66th minute: 3-2 Al-Nassr.
2. 72nd minute: 4-2.
3. 81st minute: 5-2, completing the hat-trick.

Domingues scored a penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time to make it 5-3.

Al-Nassr in the standings

According to the table Gulf News published after the game:

Gulf News noted that published tables differ on the number of games some clubs have played, so the official Saudi Pro League table is the one to trust as round 12 finishes.

The road to 1,000

Ronaldo turned 41 in February and is now 15 goals from 1,000 in official matches for club and country. Before this game the count was in dispute: his header against Al-Fayha in round 11 had been claimed as an own goal by some fans, but the league's competition committee checked with the referee and credited it to Ronaldo, Goal reported. That is why some trackers had him on 981 or 982 before Thursday.

He cannot add to the total for Portugal before mid-November: the Portuguese federation's 30-day ban means his next international chance is against Denmark on 14 November (see our report on the ban). Earlier this month his 981st goal came in a game delayed by an hour by a missile alert (our story).

Watching in Pakistan

Saudi Pro League evening kick-offs in Riyadh (UTC+3) fall two hours later in Pakistan, so an 8pm Riyadh start is 10pm PKT. Want to know exactly how old Ronaldo is down to the day? The age calculator works it out from his birthday, 5 February 1985.