Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace to seal a stunning 4-3 victory for Al Nassr against Al Ahli in the highly watched Saudi Arabia Pro League match in Riyadh.
A game that was played on Friday, 22nd of September between the two Saudi powerhouses spotlighted several former European star players like Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, Alex Saint-Maximin, Franck Kessie, and Brozovic in the starting XIs for their respective sides.
However, it was two goals from Anderson Talisca and 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo that made the difference for the home team in a dramatic 4-3 triumph.
Al Nassr vs Al Ahli in brief
The former Manchester United forward who went into the game in good form opened the floor in just 4 minutes of play at Mrsool Park when he collected a pass from Sadio Mane and sent his effort past Al Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Anderson Talisca, the Brazilian striker doubled the home team in 17 minutes, scoring from Aymeric Laporte’s knock-back collected from Alex Telles’s free kick.
The visitors who came into the match in fifth place one spot above Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League table divided the scoreline right on the half hour.
Mohammed Al Majhad of Al Ahli played a beautiful ball from the back to assist Franck Kessie through a goal, and the former Barcelona midfielder struck past Al Nassr goalkeeper Nawaf Al Aqidi.
Al Nassr fought back and restored their advantage before the first half ended. Talisca collected the ball inside the Al Ahli area and twisted a fine finish into the net off the crossbar to make it a second goal for the forward before the halftime whistle was blown.
Al Ahli pulled themselves back into the game in the 50th minute, this time, Talisca was penalized for an unacceptable tackle in his own area, and Riyad Mahrez stepped up to send Al Aqidi the wrong way from the spot.
Cristiano Ronaldo responded instantly by collecting a loose ball well outside Al Ahli’s half, the Portuguese captain cut inside his challenger and forced an intense low shot past Mendy. It was Ronaldo’s ninth goal in his previous five league games sitting atop the early season scoring charts.
With just two minutes remaining, Firas Al Buraikan who was substituted took a ball from Mahrez’s cross and placed it inside the net.
Then the officials added 10 extra minutes, Al Ahli thought they had secured a point only for Fahad Al Rashidi to head from Mahrez’s free-kick to slide off the crossbar.
The result saw Al Nassr hold on to draw level in the standings with Al Ahli, the team led by Cristiano Ronaldo now sits in fifth position only three points off the league leaders and champion Al Ittihad who have gathered 18 points at the top of the table after seven games.
Ronaldo’s side have now attained their seventh victory in a row in all competitions.
What Next For Al-Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo?
The Saudi Arabian outfit will now focus on a quick turnaround before their next match, as they’ll be preparing to face Ohod in the King’s Cup on Monday, 25th of September.
