“Riyadh Paused Kickoff for 1 Hour”… Ronaldo Scores as Al Nassr Win 3-1 Despite Match Delay
Al Nassr's match kickoff was delayed by 1 hour due to a security alert in Riyadh. It was not canceled. The 41-year-old Ronaldo scored in the 42nd minute, and Al Nassr won 3-1.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- On October 12, the Al Nassr vs. Neftchi Fergana match in Riyadh had its kickoff delayed by 1 hour due to a security alert.
- The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile. It was not confirmed that the stadium was directly hit.
- The match was played without being canceled. Al Nassr won 3-1, with 41-year-old Ronaldo scoring in the 42nd minute of the first half.
1 hour. It is the amount of time the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo had to wait before he could step onto the pitch. On October 12, 2026, the Asian Champions League Elite match between Al Nassr and Neftchi Fergana was played in Riyadh. The match could not start on schedule because of a security alert, but it was played to the end. Ronaldo answered the wait with a goal in the 42nd minute of the first half.
When kickoff is delayed, players have to hold on to the form they had built up for the original start time. Ronaldo turned 41 on February 5, 2026. According to the Saudi Pro League announcement, he is under contract with Al Nassr through 2027. Getting through that variable is the reason this match is worth another look.
Al Nassr match delayed 1 hour, 21:15 kickoff and details of the Riyadh security alert
Yonhap News reported that the original kickoff was 9:15 p.m. Saudi local time on October 12. It cited AFP as the source for the details of the delay. AP also reported separately that the start was delayed by 1 hour due to a security alert.
Adding 1 hour to the scheduled time puts the actual kickoff at around 10:15 p.m. local time. However, the reports only said “about 1 hour.” The exact start time to the minute has not been confirmed. The match went ahead as planned after the delay, and Al Nassr won 3-1.
Match timeline on October 12 (Saudi local time)
| Time | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 21:15 | Original scheduled kickoff | Yonhap News |
| Around 22:15 (estimated) | Kickoff after a delay of about 1 hour due to a security alert | AP · AFP |
| 42nd minute | Ronaldo scores the team's second goal | AP · Eurosport |
| Full time | Al Nassr win 3-1 | AP · Yonhap News |
The cause of the delay was outside the stadium. According to AP and Eurosport reports, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh. The “successful interception” is a claim made by the coalition. It has not been independently verified by a third party.
One distinction needs to be made here. The phrase “the stadium was attacked in a Houthi air raid” goes beyond what has been confirmed. There are no reports that the stadium was directly hit. An alert was issued across the city, and the match start was postponed in response. The pitch was not the target of an attack.
Ronaldo’s 42nd-Minute Goal… 976 Career Goals and $300 Million in Annual Earnings
Ronaldo scored Al Nassr's second goal in the 42nd minute. The 41-year-old striker, who had waited an hour, found the net three minutes before the end of the first half. He joined Al Nassr in January 2023.
Records differ slightly between outlets. According to beIN Sports' count, his career official goal tally stands at 976 goals (as of 2026.07.03). The figure includes his penalty against Croatia at the North American World Cup and leaves out the goals he has scored for Al Nassr since then. For the Champions League, the UEFA announcement (2024.08.29) lists 183 matches and 140 goals, while The Week puts it at 141 goals, so the figures differ.
Forbes estimates that over the one-year period starting in May 2025, he earned $300 million to top the world's sports earnings list. The figure is before taxes and agent fees. Earnings from competition account for $235 million of that, or 78%. That is $130 million, or about 1.8 times, more than second-place Álvarez.
Forbes 2026 top 5 earners (2025.05.01–2026.05.01, pre-tax estimates)
| Rank | Athlete | Sport | Total earnings (US dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | $300 million |
| 2 | Canelo Álvarez | Boxing | $170 million |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Soccer | $140 million |
| 4 | LeBron James | Basketball | $137.8 million |
| 5 | Shohei Ohtani | Baseball | $127.6 million |
The match is over, but some questions remain open. It has not been confirmed whether the security situation in Riyadh, following the coalition's interception announcement, will affect the remaining Asian Champions League schedule.
Related official sites
- Asian Football Confederation (AFC) — Asian Champions League Elite schedule and official match results
- Al Nassr — club announcements and next match information
- Saudi Pro League — league news and official announcement of Ronaldo's contract extension
Lead image · Archival photo · Not an on-site photo of the match in the article · Photo composite · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Mehrdad Esfahani/SNN), CC BY 4.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Dagur Brynjólfsson), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Kskhh), CC BY-SA 4.0
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