Al Nassr secure victory on Sadio Mane’s return despite Ronaldo’s rare goal drought

Al Nassr got their strongest attacking lineup with Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix centrally, and Kingsley Coman and Sadio Mane on the wings. From the opening, Al Nassr put pressure on Al Taawon’s defense. In the first minute, Ronaldo received a through ball but his shot hit the crossbar. Two minutes later, Simakan found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

After that, Ronaldo had several chances but was repeatedly denied by goalkeeper Mailson, who blocked all of his efforts. Eventually, Al Nassr broke the deadlock late in the first half. From a cross by Sadio Mane, Mohammed Al Dossari scored an own goal to give Al Nassr the lead. The first half ended 1-0 in favor of Ronaldo’s side.

In the second half, Al Nassr continued to show dominance and launched numerous attacks against Al Taawon. However, their shots either missed the target or were saved by the goalkeeper. In the 61st minute, Ronaldo fell inside the box, but the referee decided not to award a penalty. Both teams failed to score in the remainder of the match, and Al Nassr won 1-0.

After the match, Al Nassr head coach Jorge Jesus said: “What matters most is the win and the three points. This is our third consecutive victory. We played against one of the best teams in the league and won with a strong performance. I congratulate the players and the fans on this victory.”

Speaking about the situation for the main goalkeeper position, Jorge added: “Bento will remain with us until the end of the season. Al Nassr has two of the best goalkeepers in the league, and the choice of the starting goalkeeper depends on the circumstances and requirements of each match.”

“The team has improved after the return of Mane and Simakan from injury, although the latter showed signs of physical fatigue in the last match. The players were ready today, and we have been strong defensively, especially over the last 10 matches.”

Following the victory, Al Nassr narrowed the gap to Al Hilal to five points, after Al Hilal drew 1-1 with Al Riyadh on Sunday. In their next fixtures, Al Nassr will face Al Kholood (31 January), Al Riyadh (2 February), Al Ittihad (7 February), and Arkadag (11 February) in the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Two.