A match that started like any other turned into a nightmare for Cristiano Ronaldo, who is chasing a total of 1,000 goals. Although the match ended in a 3-1 victory for Al Nassr against Al-Fayha, the Portuguese player set off alarm bells.
The striker left the field with an injury in the second half, but his ordeal began after he missed a controversial penalty following a foul on Mohamed Simakan. However, one statistic makes things worse for ‘El Bicho’.
CR7 could have reached 1,000 goals
Al Nassr’s victory allowed them to regain the lead in the Saudi Pro League, two points ahead of Al-Ahli, while Al-Hilal is just one point behind.
Eleven minutes into the match, CR7 could have broken the deadlock and added another goal to his 965 tally. However, a deflected ball stopped his historic scoring streak. During the match, he also failed to score and even left the field injured.
“He felt muscle fatigue. After we went up 2-1, I didn’t want to take any chances and substituted him. The medical department will evaluate his condition, but what he felt was just muscle fatigue,” said coach Jorge Jesus.
In the 72nd minute, Sadio Mané equalized the score, and shortly after, Joao Félix and Abdullah Al-Hamdan sealed the final 3-1 score, with an own goal by Abdulelah Al-Amri scoring for Al-Fayha. However, CR7’s shot stole the show.
CR7 has taken 218 penalties throughout his career and, after yesterday’s miss, has now missed 36 shots, making him the player who has missed the most penalties in history. However, he is also the player who has scored the most from the penalty spot.
Despite this, his 36 misses have probably cost him the most important milestone of his career and in soccer history: becoming the first player to score 1,000 goals.
With 965 goals, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is 35 goals away from this legendary milestone, something he would have achieved had he successfully converted these penalties and, had he converted the penalty against Al-Fayha, he would have surpassed.
Ronaldo has 451 with Real Madrid, 145 with Manchester United, 101 with Juventus, 5 with Sporting Lisbon, 143 with the Portuguese National Team and 120 with Al Nassr.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Cristiano will be present in Al Nassr’s upcoming matches:
- Al Wasl vs. Al-Nassr – Wednesday, March 4 – AFC Cup quarterfinal first leg.
- Al-Nassr vs. Neom Sports Club – Saturday, March 7 – Saudi Pro League.
- Al-Nassr vs. Al Wasl – Wednesday, March 11 – AFC Cup quarterfinal second leg.
- Al Khaleej vs. Al-Nassr – Saturday, March 14 – Saudi Pro League.
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