Sensational Cristiano Ronaldo scored and assisted to inspire Al-Nassr to a 2-1 victory over Saudi Pro League strugglers Al-Raed.
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Al-Nassr beat relegation-threatened Al-Raed 2-1Ronaldo emerged as the MVP Has 15 league goals and leads the scoring chartsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPTELL ME MORE
It was a routine win for Stefano Pioli's troops as they continue to chase down Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad at the top of the league table. They dominated proceedings right from the first whistle and continued to test Al-Raed's defence with poise and purpose. Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Otavio looked menacing in attack and the former Porto man could have opened the scoring in the 26th minute but was denied by the woodwork. A few minutes later, Mane came close from a Marcelo Brozovic corner but his header was a whisker away from the far post. However, Al-Nassr did not have to wait long for the opener as Ronaldo found the back of the net in the 35th minute after he managed to get the faintest of touches to a free-kick, sent in by Brozovic.
Al-Nassr continued in the same vein in the second half and within a couple of minutes of the resumption, Nawaf Boushal doubled the lead. Ronaldo put him through and the left-back showed exceptional finishing skills to bury the ball into the net despite the best efforts of Meshari Abdulaziz Sunyur to narrow down the angle. Even after securing the insurance goal, Al-Nassr kept churning out several opportunities but it was just not Mane's evening in front of goal as the Senegalese kept misfiring.
Almost against the run of play, the hosts pulled one back in the 76th minute through Amir Sayoud. It was a sensational strike as the Algerian showed remarkable close control to get the better of two Al-Nassr defenders before unleashing a measured strike into the top-right corner beyond the reach of Bento. After the deficit was halved, Al-Raed found a spring in their foot. They started raiding Al-Nassr's defence with the hope of pulling off a massive comeback but some inspirational defending from Mohamed Simakan ensured the three points went home with the visitors.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE MVP
It was Ronaldo who stole the show with a goal and an assist. The 39-year-old eased the nerves by opening the scoring and with a little bit of luck, the former Manchester United striker could have had a couple more on the night.
THE BIG LOSER
Sadio Mane will be a frustrated figure after a disappointing evening at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. He found himself at the end of several goalscoring opportunities, including three headers, but failed to convert any. Fortunately, his misses did not come back to haunt Al-Nassr when the hosts had their tails up in the final quarter.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
After a bumpy start to 2025, this was Al-Nassr's third win on the trot. They are still five points behind the joint leaders, having played a match more, and will hope to narrow down the gap with another victory when they host Al-Feiha next on February 7. However, before that, they have a continental fixture against Al-Wasl to deal with on February 3 in the AFC Champions League.
