da fazobetai： Cristiano Ronaldo set social media ablaze on Tuesday after scoring two free kicks inside 21 minutes, before adding a third later in the half.

da jogodeouro： Article continues below

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Ronaldo in action against AbhaScores two first-half free kicksAlso nets hat trick and provides two assistsGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo and Al-Nassr were in action against Abha in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday and it did not take long for them to take the lead against the relegation battlers. The legendary Portuguese scored the first of two free kicks in the 11th minute, firing low through the wall and past hapless goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu. Tatarusanu was picking the ball out of the net again not long after, with Ronaldo benefitting from a disjointed wall when his dead-ball effort flew into the top corner. There was a degree of good fortune to both strikes, but that did not stop fans going wild on social media.

AdvertisementWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

LLF wrote of his first effort on X: "Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick was SO powerful it went THROUGH the goalkeeper." While W said of the second: "F*ck it, I’m Cristiano Ronaldo," with that message being accompanied by a goat emoji. Albi concurred, writing: "Ronaldo freekick Goal we are so backkk," again adding a goat to his post on X. Twilight wrote of Ronaldo's timeless nature: "Ronaldo is never getting old, he's now getting better." WolfRMFC thought similar, posting: "He is about 100 years old. This guy is eternal."

WHAT THE CELEBS ARE SAYING

Piers Morgan, who conducted an explosive interview with Ronaldo which preceded his Manchester United departure in 2022, got in on the act too. He wrote on X: "The GOAT @Cristiano doing yet more GOAT things tonight.. two brilliant free kick goals, this one vintage Ronaldo."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ronaldo is enjoying a terrific season personally, even if Al-Nassr's chances of clinching the Saudi Pro League title this season are all but over. It was little surprise when Ronaldo completed a first-half hat trick against Abha – his second in as many games – with a cheeky chip. Incredibly, he also set up his side's two other goals – scored by Sadio Mane and Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheemin – in the opening 45 minutes.