Ronaldo hits 969

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 969th career goal as Al‑Nassr beat Al‑Wasl 4-0 on April 19 to reach the AFC Champions League Two semifinals. (the-afc.com, foxsports.com) The quarterfinal was a single-leg tie at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai, and Al‑Nassr were 3-0 up inside 26 minutes. Ronaldo scored in the 11th minute, then João Félix corners set up headed goals for Iñigo Martínez in the 24th and Abdulelah Al‑Amri in the 26th. (the-afc.com, sofascore.com) Sadio Mané added the fourth in the 80th minute after Abdullah Al Hamddan sent him through, capping a match Al‑Nassr had largely settled before halftime. Ronaldo played 67 minutes, had three shots on target, and was replaced by Al Hamddan. (the-afc.com, foxsports.com) The result moved Al‑Nassr into a semifinal against Al Ahli SC, according to Fox Sports, after the Asian Football Confederation said the winner of this tie would face either Qatar’s Al Ahli or Jordan’s Al Hussein. Ronaldo’s goal was his first in this season’s competition, the confederation said. (foxsports.com, the-afc.com) AFC Champions League Two is Asia’s second-tier club tournament, below the AFC Champions League Elite. For Al‑Nassr, the run offers another route to silverware in a season Fox Sports said has also left the club leading the Saudi Pro League with 76 points from 29 matches. (the-afc.com, foxsports.com) For Ronaldo, the number attached to the goal carried its own weight. Fox Sports said the strike left him 31 goals short of 1,000 in official competitive matches and made Al‑Wasl the 160th club he has scored against. (foxsports.com) The larger story in Dubai was how quickly Al‑Nassr took the tie away from Al‑Wasl. By the time Mané scored the fourth, the night had become less about survival in a knockout match and more about how far Ronaldo’s team can push this run. (the-afc.com, foxsports.com)