Cristiano Ronaldo was notably absent from the Al-Nassr lineup on Monday, yet they secured a convincing 5-1 victory against Ohod in the King Cup.
Despite being the leading goal scorer in the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo was rested for the cup fixture. Nevertheless, his team’s performance remained strong, resulting in a five-goal haul against their opponents, despite facing an early challenge.
Al-Nassr’s squad still boasted several renowned players, including former Premier League talents such as Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles, and Sadio Mane. Ohod, a second-tier team in the Saudi Arabian football hierarchy, managed to equalize in the first half, but the second half saw Al-Nassr’s dominance in the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo rested Al Nassr Sadio Mane https://t.co/0LT3XIogsY via @YouTube pic.twitter.com/5AnZyjxLMs
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Sadio Mane initiated the scoring, followed by goals from Seko Fofana, Talisca, Ayman Yahya, and Sami Al-Najei. Mane had an opportunity to score within the first 10 minutes of the match but made the most of a penalty awarded when Abdulrahman Ghareeb was fouled by Abdulrahman Al-Khaibari.
Mane confidently placed the ball into the bottom left corner in the 16th minute, securing a well-deserved lead for his team and continuing his impressive performance since joining the Middle East. However, their lead was short-lived as Konrad Michalak capitalized on a long pass, chipping the ball over Nawaf Alaqidi to level the score, prompting jubilant celebrations from the home team.
In the latter stages of the match, Al-Nassr asserted control, with Fofana narrowing the scoreline to 2-1 shortly after the one-hour mark with an impressive long-range strike.
Talisca’s header effectively secured the victory, and then Yahya and Sami Al-Najei contributed to the goal tally, ensuring their team’s advancement to the next round of the competition. It’s noteworthy that they reached the semi-finals of this tournament last year.
Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo, he is anticipated to rejoin the squad for the upcoming weekend fixture against Al-Ta’ee following his absence from the Monday match.
Ronaldo has been in exceptional form this season, registering nine goals, and his team has secured victory in their last five matches after suffering two consecutive defeats at the outset of the campaign.
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