Al Nassr defeated Al Ahli 4-3 in a dramatic Saudi Pro League match on Friday in Riyadh thanks to two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Al Nassr managed to fend off numerous comeback attempts from their fellow star-studded opponents thanks to early goals from Ronaldo in both of the two halves that served as the team’s scoring books.
The ex-Liverpool forward Sadio Mané found the Portuguese legend, who scored the game’s first goal with a low left-footed drive in the fourth minute. After a deft turn on the edge of the penalty box, he then scored Al Nassr’s fourth goal in the 52nd minute with another clinical left-foot finish.
Between the two goals, Brazilian attacker Anderson Talisca scored two of his own in the opening period, the second coming off the underside of the crossbar after winning a penalty kick.
Al Ahli came from behind the home team by one goal on three different occasions. Franck Kessié, a former midfielder for Barcelona, scored in the first half, and Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez converted a penalty in the second, but substitute Feras Al-Brikan’s 4-3 goal in the 87th minute ensured a tense conclusion.
After losing their first two games of the season, Al Nassr has now won five straight in the league. As a result of their most recent victory, they are now tied for fifth place in the Saudi Pro League rankings with Al Ahli on points.
Two of the four clubs taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are Al Nassr and Al Ahli. This comes before a significant summer of expenditure that saw numerous well-known players from Europe go to the Saudi Pro League.
