Al Nassr returned to winning ways on Friday with a 3-0 victory over visiting Al Diriyah at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, in the eighth round of the Saudi Pro League.
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Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 24th minute, followed by Samu Costa in the 35th and French winger Kingsley Coman in the 77th.
The goal took Ronaldo’s career tally to 980, bringing him closer to the historic milestone of 1,000 goals for club and country.
The victory lifted Al Nassr to 19 points and second place provisionally, while Al Diriyah remained on 11 points.
Both teams started the first half at a high tempo, but Al Nassr soon took control. Sadio Mane came close to opening the scoring in the 14th minute, but his powerful effort was saved by goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
Al Nassr eventually turned their dominance into a goal when Coman’s powerful shot was saved by Abdullah, only for Ronaldo to pounce on the rebound and fire into the net in the 24th minute.
Al Nassr doubled their lead from a corner in the 35th minute, with Costa rising to head the ball into the right side of Abdullah’s goal.
Joao Felix missed a major opportunity in the 43rd minute after going one-on-one with the goalkeeper, who kept out his effort.
Abdullah continued his impressive performance by saving another Felix attempt and turning it behind for a corner in the 64th minute. Mane then missed a clear chance in the 74th minute, shooting straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.
Al Nassr added a third on a quick counterattack in the 77th minute. Coman beat the offside trap, carried the ball from the halfway line and calmly placed it to Abdullah’s right.
Elsewhere, Al Qadsiah cruised to a 5-0 victory away to Al Khlood, with Tijjani Reijnders scoring in the fourth minute, Ghanaian Christopher Bonsu Baah in the 13th, Musab Al-Juwair in the 40th, Italian striker Mateo Retegui in the 67th and Mexican Julian Quinones from the penalty spot in the 86th.
The emphatic win moved Al Qadsiah to 19 points and the top of the standings provisionally, ahead of Al Nassr on goal difference. Al Khlood remained on 12 points in seventh place.
Al Qadsiah manager Brendan Rodgers expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance, saying the emphatic scoreline reflected the quality of the players’ display.
He said the team showed a strong fighting spirit and a clear desire to win despite the players having been separated for a considerable period.
“What impressed me most about the match was the enthusiasm and determination shown by the players,” Rodgers said, adding that the performance reflected the progress the team has made since he took charge.
Rodgers noted that Al Qadsiah were still in the process of building the team and needed more time and work to reach the required level, particularly with multiple competitions and a congested schedule sometimes forcing the team to play every two days.
He stressed that such a schedule requires strong physical preparation and the ability to cope with the demands of a packed fixture list.
Meanwhile, Asian champions Al Ahli secured a 4-0 away victory over Al Fateh, with Portuguese forward Trincao scoring twice in the 31st and 50th minutes. Ivan Toney added a third in the 60th minute, before Ziyad Al-Juhani completed the scoring in the 89th.
The victory took Al Ahli to 15 points in fifth place, while Al Fateh remained on three points in 17th, second from bottom.
Source: AFP
