Al-Nassr match delayed by missile alert as Cristiano Ronaldo scores 981st career goal

The Asian Champions League match between Al-Nassr and Neftchi Fargona was delayed by one hour due to a security alert in Riyadh. The game eventually started at 22:15 Romania time instead of the scheduled 21:15. Saudi Civil Defense issued a warning at 21:00, just 15 minutes before the original kickoff, confirming the interception of a ballistic missile heading towards the city.

Reports indicated that the missile was launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen, who are allies of Iran. Al Jazeera reported that the projectiles targeted King Khalid International Airport. A spokesperson for the Coalition Forces stated that the Houthi ballistic missile was intercepted and destroyed. One death and 11 injuries were officially confirmed following the attack in Riyadh.

This incident followed a previous Houthi attack on King Khalid Airport on Saturday, which killed 12 people and injured 309. The security situation led to the postponement of the sporting event to ensure safety. Al-Nassr had previously lost their inaugural AFC Champions League round match against Al-Ain with a score of 0-4.

Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 41, started for Al-Nassr in the second round of the competition. He opened his account in the match in the 42nd minute, nine minutes after teammate Angelo scored in the 33rd minute. This goal marked Ronaldo's 981st career goal. Al-Nassr went on to defeat Neftchi Fargona 3-1.

Neftchi Fargona responded through Odilov, who scored in the 51st minute. However, Al-Nassr secured the win after an own goal by Gofurov in the 78th minute. Stipe Perica, a former Dinamo striker, entered the match for Neftchi Fargona in the 63rd minute after starting on the bench.

Ronaldo needs 19 more goals to reach 1,000 official career goals. His previous goal against Al-Diriyah was his 980th career goal and his fourth of the season. He scored 28 goals in the previous season. Ronaldo has a contract with Al-Nassr until the end of the season.