Facing an opponent in crisis, having lost both recent rounds, Al Nassr did not face many difficulties even though they had to play away. In the 11th minute, Ronaldo kicked the ball into Al Ittihad’s net, but it was not recognized for offside.

Not long after striker Abderrazak Hamdallah put the hosts ahead, Al Nassr found a 1-1 equalizer. From a foul in the penalty area by Karim Benzema, the away team received a penalty. On the 11m mark, Ronaldo shot to the right, fooling goalkeeper Al-Maiouf. After scoring, the 38-year-old striker ran to the corner post and performed the familiar “Siu” celebration.

Ronaldo missed the opportunity to put Al Nassr ahead, hitting the post after an acceleration reminiscent of his peak. However, this did not reduce the excitement of the away team. Anderson Talisca’s pass and neat finish in the penalty area helped Al Nassr enter the break with a 2-1 advantage.

At the beginning of the second half, Hamdallah once again played the role of hero when his header beat goalkeeper Alaqidi to bring the match into balance. This goal opened up exciting minutes of struggle with many missed opportunities, including two unsuccessful finishing situations by Benzema.

The turning point came in the 65th minute. The referee once again awarded a penalty to Al Nassr, and also issued a second yellow card to former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho after a foul on Otavio. This time, Ronaldo’s shot to the right was correctly guessed by Al-Maiouf, but it was too difficult for Al Ittihad goalkeeper to block.

Thanks to their advantage, Al Nassr easily scored two more goals in the remaining time. Sadio Mane cushioned the ball into an empty net after a pass from Talisca. The Senegal striker completed a double in a similar counter-attack situation in the 82nd minute. The common point in both of these goals is that Al Ittihad had players hurt on the field, causing them to lose focus on defense.

Al Nassr still has an away trip to Al Taawoun Stadium before the end of 2023, which means Ronaldo still has a chance to improve his performance. This victory helps them close the gap with top team Al Hilal to seven points. Meanwhile, Al Ittihad is ranked sixth with 28 points, 15 points behind Al Nassr.