Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick struggles have gone viral in recent weeks.
Every high, wide and wild attempt has been greeted with enthusiasm by CR7’s detractors and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner appears to have decided it is time to change tactics.
And, boy, did it work wonders.
Deep into added time in the first half of Al Nassr’s Saudi Pro League match against Al Feiha on Tuesday, Ronaldo and teammate Alex Telles stood over a dead ball just outside the opposition’s penalty area.
What happened next caught the defensive wall and goalkeeper Abdulraouf Al-Duqayl off guard.
Ronaldo abandoned his usual backstep to puff out his chest. Instead, he approached the ball nonchalantly and, rather than kicking the ball with his right foot, he simply fired a measured attempt beyond the wall.
Ronaldo made this free kick look easy ? pic.twitter.com/lzJwiQjnce
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 27, 2024
The usual “SIUUUU” celebration followed, but only after Ronaldo found a timely change of pace for the 64th free-kick goal of his career.
It was also his 899th professional goal and Ronaldo spurned a glorious chance to reach his latest record after the break, lifting from inside the area as Luis Castro’s side remained 2-0 ahead.
Anderson Talisca opened the scoring for the visiting team thanks to an assist from Ronaldo in the fifth minute.
