Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive goal as Al Nassr beat Al Taawoun 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Friday night. The victory moved the Portuguese forward’s professional career tally to 978 goals, leaving him 22 short of the 1,000-goal milestone. Ronaldo, 41, is pursuing the landmark as his major remaining individual target.

Al Nassr controlled the match at home from the outset but fell behind in the 11th minute when Al Taawoun’s Bassam Mohammed Alhuraiji scored for the visitors. The home side responded with greater attacking intent and levelled before halftime through Samu Costa, sending the match into the break at 1-1.

Ronaldo settled the contest five minutes into the second half. A shot by teammate Mohamed Simakan was heading toward goal, and Ronaldo applied a close-range touch to send it into the net. It was his second goal in three Saudi Pro League matches this season. Al Nassr have won all four of their league matches, further strengthening their position at the top of the standings.