Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo on Monday sealed Al Nassr’s 2-1 victory over Al Rayyan during the second matchday of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League group stage.
Ronaldo, 39, netted the winning goal against Al Rayyan to break the deadlock in the final minutes of a hard-fought game.
Although the goal was crucial for Al Nassr as it marked its first victory in the league after their opening group-stage match against Al Shorta ended in a 1-1 draw, it meant more to Ronaldo, Essentially Sports reported.
During a post-match presser, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner revealed that he decided to dedicate his goal to his late father José Dinis Aveiro.
Aveiro was unable to witness his son as the football superstar he is today, as he passed away in 2005 due to liver failure, two years after Ronaldo joined Manchester United.
“Today’s goal has a different flavour and I wish my father was alive because today is his birthday,” he said during the presser on Monday, while discussing his goal.
This explains Ronaldo’s celebration after scoring his goal, as he ran towards the corner and raised both of his hands in the air while looking at the sky.
Al Nassr currently stand third with over four points in Group B which consists of 12 teams. They need to maintain their spot at least in the top eight to make it to the next stage of the competition.