Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 980th career goal on Friday as Al-Nassr returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League, putting the defending champions level on points with league leaders Al-Qadsiah.
The 41-year-old Portuguese forward opened the scoring in the first half at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, marking his return to club football after a turbulent international break that ended with him leaving Portugal's national team camp amid a dispute over his playing time.
The victory lifted Al-Nassr to 19 points after eight rounds in the 2026-27 season, leaving them second behind Al-Qadsiah on goal difference.
Ronaldo struck in the 23rd minute after Kingsley Coman's effort from outside the penalty area was parried by goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah. The forward reacted quickly to fire the rebound into the net from close range, moving within 20 goals of the milestone of 1,000 official career goals.
It was Ronaldo's fourth league goal of the season and another reminder of his continued influence as Al-Nassr pursue back-to-back domestic titles.
Samu Costa doubled the lead in the 35th minute, heading home a corner from Joao Felix before Coman sealed the victory in the 77th minute with a finish at the end of a counterattack involving Sadio Mane.
The result provided a boost for Al-Nassr and coach Ange Postecoglou, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest manager, as the team sought to maintain pressure on the early league leaders.
Ronaldo's return to domestic action followed a public dispute with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus during the international break.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has scored a record 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, left the national team camp ahead of a Nations League match after learning he was unlikely to start.
Ronaldo later published a lengthy statement accusing Jesus of failing to honor an agreement over his involvement in the fixtures. The disagreement attracted attention because Jesus had previously coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, with the pair helping the club win the Saudi Pro League title in May.
Jesus subsequently left Al-Nassr and took charge of Portugal after Roberto Martínez's departure following the World Cup.
Ronaldo's absence from the national team camp raised questions about his relationship with the new coaching setup, but his performance against Diriyah shifted the focus back to his club's title challenge.
Al-Nassr supporters made their backing clear before kickoff, unfurling a large banner reading "Greatness Is Earned. CR7." Ronaldo responded by delivering the opening goal before his teammates completed a comfortable victory.
Earlier Friday, Al-Qadsiah strengthened their position at the top of the standings with a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Kholood.
Dutch international Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring in the fourth minute, with Christopher Bonsu Baah and Musab Al-Juwayr also finding the net before Italy forward Mateo Retegui and Mexico international Julian Quinones completed the rout. Quiñones scored from the penalty spot.
Al-Qadsiah moved to 19 points, level with Al-Nassr but ahead on goal difference, with a plus-13 differential compared with Al-Nassr's plus-12 after eight matches. Al-Hilal remained third with 18 points from seven games.