Down 1-0 in the 78th minute to 12th-place Abha (out of 16) on Saturday, the 38-year-old Ronaldo unleashed a near-35-yard free kick to bring the score level for Al Nassr.
Abdulfattah Adam, a striker on loan at Abha from Al Nassr, opened the scoring in the 26th minute despite being the inferior team for the majority of the game. Al Nassr generated more shots, shots on target, possession, passes and more, but just couldn’t find the clinical touch in the final third.
Then Ronaldo found a way for his side to come alive with a low, powerful driving strike toward the bottom left that gave Abha goalkeeper Devis Epassy no chance.
In the 86th minute, versatile Brazilian Anderson Talisca converted a penalty that sealed the 2-1 win and all three points for second-place Al Nassr to close the gap to one point under first-place Al Ittihad.
The goal for Ronaldo pushed his league tally to nine in eight games, along with two assists.
Al Nassr will next play 15th-place Al Adalah on April 4 after the international break, where Ronaldo will be playing for Portugal after being called up by new national team manager Roberto Martinez.