Cristiano Ronaldo and Jhon Duran on target as Al-Nassr raced to a 3-1 win over Al-Kholood to boost their AFC Champions League hopes.
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Al-Nassr had little trouble beating Al-KholoodRonaldo, Mane & Duran on the scoresheetNawaf's red card will see him miss Al-Hilal fixtureFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPTELL ME MORE
Since Stefano Pioli took over the reins, Al-Nassr have shown flashes of brilliance but at the same time struggled for consistency. However, on Friday evening, the Riyadh club arguably played the most complete game of the Pioli era with their star-studded front three firing on all cylinders.
Ronaldo took just four minutes to open the scoring and there was no looking back for Al-Nassr. Although Al-Kholood thought they had equalised in the ninth minute through Myziane Maolida, the goal was chalked off after a VAR check. In the 26th minute, the Portuguese forward sliced open Al-Kholood's defence and put through Salem Al-Najdi on the left flank. The left-back drilled in a low cross in the six-yard box and Mane made no mistake to double the lead.
After Ronaldo and Mane got their names on the scoresheet, it was Duran's turn to join the party. Four minutes from half-time, Angelo rolled the ball into the Colombian's path and the former Aston Villa striker rifled in a shot from outside the box which beat Marcelo Grohe between the sticks.
Just before the hour-mark, Nawaf Boushal was given his marching orders after the defender had his studs up during a tackle on Farah Al-Shamrani and the referee had no qualms flashing a red card to the right-back. Soon, Pioli decided to take off Ronaldo and the 40-year-old was seen fuming with his manager's decision. After a brief exchange of words with the Italian, Ronaldo headed straight down the tunnel.
Al-Kholood saw a glimmer of hope when a massive deflection from Ali Lajami turned Maolida's shot past Bento but it was too little too late to salvage even a point for the visitors.
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Mane was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch. The Senegalese was a constant threat in attack, put in a massive work rate while chasing the ball, and Pioli had little doubt while taking off Ronaldo on the hour-mark instead of the former Liverpool star.
THE BIG LOSER
Nawaf should have played it smarter. There was little need for a sliding challenge, especially with your team 3-0 up, and when you have your boots up, you are mostly inviting trouble. An unnecessary red card and now he will miss the crucial fixture against second-placed Al-Hilal in April.
WHAT COMES NEXT FOR RONALDO?
Ronaldo will now head to Lisbon to join his Portugal team-mates as they face Denmark in the Nations League quarter-finals on March 20 and 23 respectively. After his international commitments, he will be back in action against Al-Hilal on April 4.
