38-year-old striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals and assisted once, helping Al Nassr beat hosts Al Fateh 5-0 in the third round of the Saudi Pro League.
After two straight defeats, Al Nassr finally took their first three points in the 2023-2024 Saudi League. With the addition of centre-back Aymeric Laporte and $65 million midfielder Otavio, the visitors outclassed the hosts, helping them win despite not seeming to be at full strength. Ronaldo and Sadio Mane took turns scoring all five goals, with simple close-range finishes at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium.
Ronaldo dribbles the ball during the match against Al Fateh at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, Al-Hasa city, Saudi Arabia on August 25, 2023. Photo: ANFC
After two scoreless matches, Ronaldo also shone when he had a hand in the first four goals against the home team. In the 27th minute, he received a pass from Marcelo Brozovic with a one-touch backheel assist through the opponent's two central defenders, allowing Mane to rush down and chip the ball to open the scoring. The away team's fans lit up flares, as Ronaldo and Mane put their arms around each other and jumped for the goal. That was only Ronaldo's fourth assist this year, after 32 matches in all competitions.
What Ronaldo did better was score goals, and he scored his first hat-trick in exactly six months, although all three of his goals were from inside the six-yard box. In the 38th minute, defender Sultan Al Ghannam crossed the ball from the right for Ronaldo to head into the net unmarked from about four metres out. He spun to score his first Saudi League goal of the season, but did not celebrate in the same way for the other two.
Ronaldo celebrates his third hat-trick for Al Nassr. Photo: Janty
In the 55th minute, midfielder Abdulrahman Ghareeb rushed down to face the goalkeeper but did not shoot but instead passed the ball to Ronaldo to tap the ball into the empty net. In the final minute of the match, Ayman Yahya crossed to the second post for Ronaldo to score a simple goal to complete his hat-trick. In both of these goals, he ran to hug the creator tightly.
The 38-year-old superstar raised his career tally to 847 goals and 63 hat-tricks, both records in the 21st century. After the match, he asked the referee to sign the ball for the player who scored three goals.
In addition to his hat-trick and impromptu assist, Ronaldo also played aggressively and the highlight was his performance in the 69th minute. He flicked the ball to the right and then quickly flicked it in the opposite direction in the penalty area, using the "flip flap" technique often seen in Ronaldinho. The Al Nassr captain got past his opponent but was tripped and did not get a penalty.
Ronaldo's hat-trick against Al Fateh.
Ronaldo took centre stage, but Mane also deserved his double. After heading in his second goal in the 81st minute, the Senegalese forward performed a Ronaldo-like dance to celebrate. Mane then looked towards CR7 as he ran towards him and smiled. Midfielder Brozovic also continued to dominate the Al Nassr midfield, with most of their attacks going through the Croatian.
With the first win, Al Nassr climbed to 10th place in the Saudi League. The league has only two winning teams left, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli. In the next match, Al Nassr will return home to face Al Shabab at 1am on Wednesday, August 30, Hanoi time.
Hoang An
Source link
Comment (0)