Cristiano Ronaldo guided Al-Nassr to a 2-0 win against Damac on Friday evening at Al-Awal Park in the 12th round of the Roshen Saudi League.
The Portuguese star found the net twice, first with a penalty in the 17th minute and later with a strike in the 79th minute, taking his season tally to 9 goals, making him the league’s second-highest scorer.
Damak was reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute following the red card shown to Algerian defender Abdelkader Badrane. The match also saw Frenchman Mohamed Simakan leave the field due to injury in the 69th minute.
Al-Nassr bounced back from their first defeat of the season to Al-Qadisiyah last week, securing a much-needed win. The victory lifted Al-Nassr to third place with 25 points, ahead of Al-Qadisiyah on goal difference. Meanwhile, Damak remains in 11th place with 14 points in the Saudi Professional League standings.
A Match of Goals and Missed Chances
Al-Nassr began the game with intensity, pressing early for an opener. Gabriel Angelo’s low drive was deflected for a corner, and Ronaldo followed up with a header that narrowly missed the crossbar.
The breakthrough came in the 17th minute when Ronaldo converted a penalty after a handball by Badrane inside the box.
Just five minutes later, Al-Nassr nearly doubled their lead on a counterattack. Ronaldo sent a brilliant through ball to Angelo, but the Brazilian squandered the chance.
The pressure from Al-Nassr persisted, with Mohammed Al-Fateel and Sultan Al-Ghannam unleashing powerful attempts that failed to find the target.
Ronaldo showcased his creativity with a clever backheel pass to Sadio Mane, who found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, Mane’s shot lacked power, allowing the keeper to make a save and deflect it for a corner.
The Decisive Second Half
Damak began the second half with determination, launching two early attacks through François Kamano in the opening seven minutes, aiming to equalize.
However, their momentum was abruptly halted when Abdelkader Badrane received a red card for a reckless challenge on Mohamed Simakan, leaving Damak to play the remainder of the match with ten men.
In response, Al-Nassr’s coach Stefano Pioli introduced Anderson Talisca in the 62nd minute, replacing Gabriel Angelo, who had struggled to make an impact. Simakan, attempting to soldier on despite his injury, was eventually substituted for Ali Lajami. Shortly after, Sadio Mané was replaced by Abdulrahman Ghareeb to add fresh energy to the attack.
Ronaldo Seals the Win
Capitalizing on Damak’s numerical disadvantage, Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the “mercy bullet” in the 79th minute. He finished with a thunderous strike, connecting with a precise low cross from Nawaf Boushal to double Al-Nassr’s lead.
In stoppage time, Anderson Talisca nearly added a third goal after pouncing on a defensive error. His low shot beat the keeper but struck the right post. Moments later, Talisca found the net from a Ronaldo cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside, denying Al-Nassr an even greater margin of victory.
