Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane Secure a Brace Each With Al Nassr Securing an Away Win to Defending Champions Al Ittihad
In a Saudi Pro League match that saw a five-time Ballon d’Or winner line up against a one-time Ballon d’Or winner, the five-time winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, emerged as the victor.
The seven-goal thriller saw Cristiano convert two goals from the spot to overtake Kylian Mbappe (52) and Harry Kane (52), to make it 53 goals scored in 2023, more than anyone worldwide. It seems time is the one slowing down for the Portuguese international. While he failed to score from open play, he consistently played his target man role, leaving Al Ittihad struggling to defend Al Nassr’s attacks.
Sadio Mane was another star on the day, with his brace getting him back to scoring ways after a mini-goal drought. He was a constant presence in the attacking third and rewarded his efforts with a brace.
There was lively action going forward on the Al Ittihad side, but the defensive actions were not enough to prevent the five goals. With Al Nassr coming out of the gate and taking control of the match, the hosts struggled to get anything in the first half. They would recover in the second half, but with Fabinho getting sent off, the visitors proved too much for them.
Al Nassr has collected nine points from the last 3 games, while Al Ittihad has lost three times in succession. Al Hilal will beware of Al Nassr coming up on the table after reducing their lead to seven points.
