Al Nassr managed to achieve an important and precious victory against Al Ettifaq, winning three goals to one in matchday 18 of the Roshen Saudi League 2023-2024, held at Al-Ittihad Park. With this result, Al Nassr's points rise to 40, placing them in second position in the league, ten points behind the leaders Al Hilal, with one postponed match against Al Ittihad. Al Ettifaq remains at 24 points in eighth place.
Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to threaten Al Ettifaq's goal in the 34th minute after receiving a cross that he shot with an overhead kick, but it went wide. The first significant threat to Al Ettifaq's goal came in the 35th minute with a right-sided cross that Ronaldo met with a powerful header, but the goalkeeper saved it. Al Nassr continued to apply pressure, and in the 40th minute, Ronaldo sent a precise left-sided cross that Talisca headed just off target.
Three minutes before halftime, a high ball rebounded off Al Ettifaq's defense at the edge of the penalty area, which Alex Telles struck with a powerful shot into the net, marking the first goal. Al Nassr did not stop after the goal; in the fourth minute of added time, Sadio Mane delivered a low cross from the left, and Talisca shot from the right, but the goalkeeper made a steady save.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, Brozovic pressured Al Ettifaq's defense, allowing the ball to reach Ronaldo, who quickly passed to Brozovic, who skillfully netted the second goal. In the 68th minute, Mane penetrated down the left side and passed to Ronaldo, who powerful shot was just over the crossbar. In the 71st minute, Sadio Mane skillfully received the ball inside the penalty area, where Al Ettifaq's defense intervened, leading the referee to award a penalty to Al Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty in the 73rd minute and struck it hard into the left corner, extending his team’s lead. Six minutes before the match's end, a left-sided cross reached Al-Kuwaikibi, who scored forcefully to reduce the gap for Al Ettifaq.
Ronaldo has once again scored for Al Nassr, reinforcing his position as the top scorer in the Saudi league, surpassing the total number of goals scored by Norwegian Erling Haaland in 2023. Ronaldo remains one goal behind Englishman Harry Kane and Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, both leading scorers for the year.
Earlier, Portuguese coach Luis Castro (61) announced the starting lineup for Al Nassr:
- 44- Nawaf Al-Aqidi
- 2- Sultan Al-Ghanam
- 78- Ali Lajami
- 27- Emerick Laporte
- 15- Alex Telles
- 77- Marcelo Brozovic
- 6- Seko Fofana
- 25- Octavio Monteiro
- 94- Anderson Talisca
- 10- Sadio Mane
- 7- Cristiano Ronaldo
Meanwhile, English star Steven Gerrard (43) chose the following starting lineup for Al Ettifaq:
“Here is the squad for the match”
Al Nassr’s veteran Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is fiercely competing for the title of top scorer for the year 2023, aiming for the award for the first time since 2015 and the fifth in his career. Ronaldo (38) currently holds third place in the top scorers for 2023 with 50 goals, tied with Manchester City's Erling Haaland, trailing one goal behind Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and two behind Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, the world's top scorer.
