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Fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted as Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr cruised to a 3-1 win against Al-Raed at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Saturday (September 16).
Luis Castro named a formidable starting XI with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Otavio, Marcelo Brozovic, and Aymeric Laporte making the cut.
The Knights of Najd started off slowly and were fortunate not to concede twice in the opening 20 minutes with Julio Tavares and Amir Sayoud both missing good chances. Al-Nassr were once again given a reprieve in the 32nd minute when Tavares struck the post.
Despite having a strong first half, Al-Raed had a nightmarish end to nullify their efforts. Sadio Mane scored against the run of play in the 45th minute before being fouled by Bander Whaeshi a minute later. The latter was given a straight red card for his challenge.
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Castro brought on Anderson Talisca to take control of the game in the second half. This substitution paid dividends as the Brazilian scored a world-class goal into the top corner from 30 yards out in the 49th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo went close a few times but finally got on the scoresheet in the 78th minute. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner superbly nutmegged his defender before finding the bottom corner to give Al-Alami a commanding 3-0 lead.
Mohamed Fouzair reduced the deficit for Al-Raed with an 87th-minute penalty, however, the Knights of Najd held on to their lead to secure all three points.
Fans on X exploded after Cristiano Ronaldo scored his seventh goal of the season. Many fans even used his goal to take a dig at Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after United were defeated 3-1 against Brighton earlier today.
One fan wrote:
"CRISTIANO RONALDO MAKES IT 4-1!!! A BRACE RIGHT ON TOP OF TEN HAG BALD HEAD."
Another wrote:
"Ronaldo is dominating Neymar, Firmino, Benzema, Mahrez, Mane and many more at Age 38. You can't stop greatness."
Al-Nassr have now won their last three games in a row. They are currently fifth in the Saudi Pro League with 12 points after six games.
Al-Raed vs Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr: Exploring the stats from Saudi Pro League clash
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr were able to show great resilience to secure a 3-1 win against Al-Raed despite being dominated in the first half. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Luis Castro's side dominated possession with 60% of the ball after having a man advantage in the second half. They also completed 335 passes with an accuracy of 88%. On the other hand, Al-Raed had 40% possession and completed 230 passes (80% accuracy).
Al-Nassr had a total of 11 shots with four being on target. Whereas Al-Raed had eight shots but none being on target. The home side were guilty of missing two big chances and were punished for not being prolific enough.
