- Cristiano Ronaldo’s early goals set the tone for Al Nassr’s victory.
- Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran extended the lead before halftime.
- Despite the red card and late goals from Al Kholod, Al Nassr remained in the company.
Al Nassr won 3-1 against Al Kholod in an exciting Saudi professional league encounter in Riyadh.
Even though the second half dropped to 10 men, early goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and newcomer Jhon Duran still scored a crucial three-pointer from the home team.
Ronaldo’s early influence
Al Nassr wasted no time claiming dominance, and Cristiano Ronaldo found the net just four minutes into the game.
The Portuguese star made great use of rebounds in the initial effort of Al Kholod goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe.
The goal marks Ronaldo’s 19th league goal of the season, expanding Al Shabab’s Abderrazak Hamdallah’s lead with two goals.
Not long after, Al Kholod thought that when Merziane Maolida scored from the edge of the box, they had reached a balance.
However, the long VAR reviews banned the target due to a foul on the mane.
Mane and Duran expand their lead
Building on the momentum, Al Nassr doubled their lead with performances involving Ronaldo and Salem al-Najdi.
Ronaldo found al-najdi through Ball, who got a curling cross that skillfully entered the net.
Minutes before the half, Jhon Duran showed off his personal glory.
Also read: Ronaldo Nets’ 100th Premier League goal, dedicating their goal to their late son
The Colombian’s forward moved the ball to the left outside the free throw area and shot the low-speed shot into the bottom right corner, allowing Nasr to make his left and right shots 3-0 at rest.
Flexible defense after red card
In the second half, Al Nassr faced a challenge to reduce the team to 10 men when Nawaf Boushal received two yellow cards in ten minutes.
Al Kholod felt the opportunity, strengthened their attack and managed to pull it back in the 70th minute.
Jackson Muleka’s shot deflected Ali Lajami, making a mistake in the goalkeeper and narrowing the deficit to 3-1.
Despite the numerical disadvantages and increasing pressure, Nasr’s defense remained firm, ensuring they scored all threes.
Close the gap in title contests
For Al Nassr, this victory is crucial as it narrows the gap to 10 points for league leader Al Ittihad, whose championship wishes keep them as the season progresses.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s steady performance continued to inspire Al Nassr, the veteran forward leading by example and making a significant contribution to the team’s success.
After 25 games in the Saudi Professional League, Al Nassr has accumulated 51 points to secure fourth place. Meanwhile, Al Kholood ranked tenth with a total of 31 points.
Al Nassr competed in Al-Hilal, second place on April 4, 2025, as Al Kholood also competes with Al Taawoun and is currently at the Saudi professional league table for eight points.
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