Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating first half after seeing two goals ruled out for offside. But the Portuguese superstar exploded after the break, scoring three goals in just 15 minutes to complete a sensational hat-trick.

His three-goal burst inspired Al Nassr to a 5-3 victory over Al Kholood in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday, October 29.

Ronaldo scored in the 66th, 72nd and 81st minutes, taking his reported official career tally to 985 goals—just 15 short of the historic 1,000-goal milestone.

Ronaldo Takes Over in the Second Half

Al Kholood stunned Al Nassr in the 16th minute when Julien Domingues opened the scoring.

Al Nassr responded through Ângelo Gabriel in the 24th minute before Sadio Mané put the hosts ahead in the 38th minute.

But Al Kholood levelled again through Antoin Loic Essomba in first-half stoppage time, sending the teams into the break at 2-2.

The second half belonged to Ronaldo.

In the 66th minute, João Félix found Ronaldo inside the box and the Portuguese forward made no mistake.

Six minutes later, Félix delivered another dangerous ball, and Ronaldo headed home his second of the night.

His hat-trick arrived in the 81st minute. Mané created the opportunity, and Ronaldo finished it to put Al Nassr 5-2 ahead.

Domingues scored a late penalty for Al Kholood, but Al Nassr held on for a 5-3 victory.

Ronaldo Now Has 985 Career Goals

The hat-trick moved Ronaldo's official career goal tally to 985, leaving him just 15 goals away from 1,000.

The treble is also being reported as the 68th hat-trick of Ronaldo's professional career.

Interestingly, Ronaldo had already found the net twice in the first half, but both efforts were ruled out for offside. He responded brilliantly after the break by scoring three legitimate goals.

João Félix Provides Four Assists

João Félix was another standout performer for Al Nassr.

The Portuguese forward provided four assists during the match, including the final passes for Ronaldo's first two goals. His creativity combined perfectly with Ronaldo's finishing as Al Nassr took control after half-time.

Al Nassr Remain in the Title Race

The victory took Al Nassr to 28 points. However, the updated standings depend on the number of matches played, with Al Qadsiah also on 28 points and having played an additional game in the latest table updates. Therefore, describing Al Nassr as the outright league leader would be misleading without specifying the games in hand.

For Ronaldo, however, the bigger story is clear: 985 career goals, only 15 more needed for 1,000, and another spectacular hat-trick at the age of 41.