In game 6 of the Saudi Pro League, played between Al Nassr and Al Raed, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the game-winning goal for Al Nassr, giving his team a 3-1 victory.

At the club level, Ronaldo has now scored in each of the last four matches that he has played in. At this point in time, he was dominating the race for leading scorer in the Saudi Pro League with seven goals in five total appearances. The result was beneficial for Al Nassr, as it enabled them move up to fifth place with 12 points after six matches. The beginning of the season was rather rough, with both teams losing twice, but it appears like Ronaldo and his teammates have developed a strategy that could be successful.

In Al Nassr’s triumph, Ronaldo was responsible for scoring both of his team’s goals. Image courtesy of: @AlNassrFC_ENAl Nassr came out on top thanks in part to Ronaldo’s goal. Image courtesy of: @AlNassrFC_EN

It is likely that the score does not accurately reflect everything that took place on the field. In point of fact, Al Raed played with a lot of effort and performed just as well as Al Nassr, particularly in the first half of the game. Even though Al Nassr’s defense has become more strong due to the presence of former Manchester City midfielder Aymeric Laporte, the home team continued to cause problems with their quick players on the wings.

Al Raed caused Al Nassr’s goal to shake in the 32nd minute of the game. Before the ball could reach Nawaf Al-Aqidi’s goal post, Yahya Sunbul raced up from behind to make the play and catch Yahya Sunbul’s pass. After 10 minutes, Al Nassr’s response came in the form of a shot from Marcelo Brozovic that went over the bar.

During the extra time, there was a decisive moment that changed the course of the game. First, Sadio Mane displayed the sophistication of a superstar by breaking through the circle of Al Raed players. He then shot low, which caused Moreira to give up, and the game was over. The fact that the midfielder Bandar Whaeshi fumbled and lost the ball in front of the penalty area and then committed a foul to prevent Mane from approaching the goalie may be related to the fact that he did not have enough time to regain his composure after this loss. The referee did not think twice before handing out a direct red card, which meant that Al Raed had to finish the half with only ten players on the field.

Al Nassr was able to comfortably control the contest thanks to their superior numbers. A few time after the halftime break, the opposing team scored again to make the score 2-0. Anderson Talisca completed a cannon shot from a distance of 25 meters after receiving a pass from Sultan Alganham, who recorded a double assist in this game. The pass came after Anderson Talisca had already scored a goal. Moreira was forced to give up, despite the fact that he was flying at his maximum height, since the ball curved up into the top corner of the goal.

After allowing Amir Sayoud to get through their offside trap and then going up against goalie Al Aqidi, it appeared as though Al Nassr would be able to cut the deficit in half. However, the lift that skipper Al Raed attempted was too high. The home team paid a significant price by conceding a third goal since they squandered the opportunity. After receiving the ball from Talisca, Ronaldo feigned a move to get past an Al Raed defender and then shot with his left foot. This prevented Moreira from getting a chance to block the shot.

It wasn’t until the 89th minute that Al Raed was able to make the goal net of Al Aqidi shake. As a result of a foul committed by Al Amri on Karim El Berkaoui, the referee gave the home team a penalty. In a very unusual occurrence, two players, Al Raed El Berkaoui and Mohammed Fouzair, got into a fight over kicks, and in order for the game to continue, Mane and Ronaldo had to step in to break up the brawl.

Fouzair brought the score closer, bringing it to 1-3, with a shot using the pakenka technique. When Ronaldo broke free and shot with his left foot toward Moreira’s net during extra time in the second half, the deficit was nearly brought back to its previous level of three goals. The goal was called back, however, because the referee realized after consulting the VAR that the striker, who was 38 years old, was playing from the wrong side of the field.

In any case, the victory by a score of 3-1, which included the points scored by the offensive stars, is counted as a success for Al Nassr. They will take a break till September 19, when they will play host to the Iranian team Persepolis FC in the group stage of the AFC Champions League.