VIDEO: Good old Ronaldo! Half-time hat-trick, this is how he scored from a free kick

Cristiano Ronaldo used to be the great terror of all goalkeepers and walls when he stood up to take a free kick. And even at his advanced age, he hasn’t lost his touch as he hit the wall behind Al-Nassr twice in 20 minutes. On top of that, he added a hat-trick by half-time.

Cristiano Ronaldo‘s free-kick against Portsmouth is still one of the best the football world has seen. The ball sailed through the air on either side and eventually nestled precisely into the crossbar.

Since then, the Portuguese has hit the wall on dozens more occasions. Four steps back, one step to the left, a deep breath. And a shot with something between the shirt and the shoulder. Perhaps every little footballer has tried to imitate Ronaldo.

Even at an advanced age, moreover, Ronaldo never stops showing his skill. In Tuesday’s match at Abha, the Portuguese took a lightning-fast lead.

In the 11th minute, he took a direct kick just outside the big box and opened the scoring with the help of a misplaced goalkeeper. It was the 62nd direct kick goal of Ronaldo’s career.

But that was not all. In the 21st minute, Ronaldo had another direct kick, again just outside the box. This time, he gave the goalkeeper no chance as he scored his second goal of the match. And his 63rd from a free kick.

But even that was not enough for Ronaldo. A few minutes later, he crossed for Sadio Mané to score. And in the 42nd minute he found a pass behind the defence and expertly flicked the runner over the goalkeeper. He completed his hat-trick in the first half. He also added an assist for Al-Nassr’s fifth goal just before going into the box.

In the current edition of the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo already has 29 goals and 11 assists. He reigns supreme in both the scorers and passers tables.

It’s worse as a team, as Al Nassr will most likely not catch Al-Hilal for the first time. He is currently 12 points behind him with 8 rounds to go.

So there are still 24 points in play, but Al Hilal would have to lose half of them. With three rounds to go, the two teams will face each other in a rematch. And if Ronaldo and co. manage to cut the lead, it could be an interesting duel.

Source: Saudi Pro League, X