Ronaldo scores stunning hat-trick as Al Nassr thrash Al Kholood 5-3

Cristiano Ronaldo rolled back the years with a sensational hat-trick as Al Nassr cruised to a 5-3 victory over Al Kholood in the Saudi Pro League on Thursday.

The Portuguese superstar struck three times in a 15-minute spell to turn a 2-2 stalemate into a comfortable victory, taking his career goals tally to 985 and bringing the historic 1,000-goal milestone closer.

The 41-year-old celebrated the result on social media, writing: "Great win, great team performance. Happy to help with a hat-trick!"

How did Al Nassr secure the victory?

Al Kholood made the brighter start, with Julien Domingues opening the scoring in the 16th minute. Angelo restored parity eight minutes later before Sadio Mane put Al Nassr ahead shortly before the interval. Joao Felix provided assists for both goals.

However, the visitors refused to go down without a fight, as Antoine Loic Essomba Bikoula struck in stoppage time to send the teams into half-time level at 2-2.

How did Ronaldo complete his hat-trick?

After having two first-half efforts disallowed, Ronaldo finally broke through in the 66th minute with a close-range finish.

He doubled Al Nassr's advantage six minutes later, rising above the defence to power home a header before completing his treble in the 81st minute by converting Mane's delivery.

Domingues converted a late penalty for Al Kholood, but it was not enough to prevent defeat.

Where do Al Nassr stand in the league?

The victory kept Al Nassr second in the Saudi Pro League standings, behind leaders Al Qadsiah, who registered a commanding 6-0 victory over Al Riyadh, with Tijjani Reijnders also scoring a hat-trick.