RONALDO SCORES A GOAL OR TWO AS AL NASSR DEFEATS AL ETTIFAQ WITH EASE.

After winning 3-1 over Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, Al Nassr had a simple day at work.

For Al Nassr, goals came from Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles; for Al Ettifaq, the only goal scorer was Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi.

After colliding heads with Ali Lajami, Ettifaq’s Hamed Al-Ghamdi suffered a head injury that required him to be substituted out of the game.

Once Al Nassr settled into a rhythm, it was to be expected that it would take control of the game; but, Steven Gerrard’s team maintained a compact backline to foil the host’s attacks.

The opening goal was achieved in the 43rd minute thanks to some solo genius from Telles. Al Ettifaq attempted to clear the ball, but the Brazilian fullback got a chance to try a first-time volley outside the area, which rattled the net due to a wayward header.

With an aggressive and offensive attitude, Al Nassr concluded the first half with a 1-0 lead and began the second half in a same manner.

In the 59th minute, Luis Castro’s team scored their second goal as a result of their perseverance. Once more, Al Ettifaq’s shoddy defense let Ronaldo head a loose ball to Brozovic inside the box, who finished expertly to find the net.

Ronaldo’s hunger for a goal was apparent even with his assist. The Portuguese enjoyed a few of opportunities but were unable to take advantage of them until the 73rd minute when Mohammed Abdulrahamn Yousef’s hand blocked Sadio Mane’s cross, giving the team a penalty.

Ronaldo took the spot-kick, stepped up, and placed the ball in the bottom left corner. Paulo Victor, the goalie for Al Ettifaq, made the correct estimate, but he was unable to reach it.

Kuwaykibi’s goal in the 85th minute gave Steven Gerrard’s team a goal back, and they closed the game quite optimistically. In all departments, however, it consistently finished second throughout the conflict.

With 40 points from 17 games, Al Nassr is still in second place after the victory, while Al Ettifaq is still in eighth place with 24 points from 18 games.