Aymeric Laporte netted the winner as Al-Nassr beat Al-Khaleej despite Cristiano Ronaldo failing to deliver.
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Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Al-Nassr’s starting lineup after serving a one-match suspension against Al-Fayha. However, Sadio Mane missed out on the clash due to the accumulation of four yellow cards. The first half witnessed an evenly-poised contest where both teams had their share of chances to break the deadlock.
Five offside calls were taken by the linesman which involved two Ronaldo moves from one of which he found the back of the net. At the stroke of half-time, Al-Nassr players appealed for a penalty after Abdulelah Al-Amri was brought down inside the box but VAR rejected the plea.
The second half saw Al-Nassr dominating proceedings as they looked to break the deadlock. At the hour mark, Ronaldo squandered arguably the easiest chance of the match as he failed to score from close range with his header going off target.
Laporte finally opened the scoring in the 68th minute when he converted a clinical header from Marcelo Brozovic’s free-kick. A pinpoint pass found the former Manchester City defender inside the box who cleverly kept his header on target. In the 82nd minute, the 39-year-old made a brilliant solo run with the ball as Al-Nassr broke on a counter but the forward failed to score once again after his effort hit the side netting.
The Saudi giants eventually emerged triumphant as they registered their sixth consecutive win in the league and reduced their gap with league leaders Al-Hilal to nine points.
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GettyTHE MVP
Laporte stole the show for his side in the second half as he scored the all-important goal and secured a crucial win. The Spain international looked solid in the backline while also contributing to the attack when his team needed him the most.
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GettyTHE BIG LOSER
It was a night to forget for Ronaldo as the Portuguese star failed to find the back of the net despite getting multiple opportunities. Three of his attempts were ruled offside while he failed to bury an easy chance in the 60th minute and then hit the side met after making a brilliant solo run in the 82nd minute.
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WHAT COMES NEXT?
Luis Castro’s side will now shift their focus to the King Cup of Champions where they are set to meet Al-Khaleej once again in the semi-final on Wednesday.
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GettyMATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐
Source Goal.com
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