The man of the finals, the man of the important moments. Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, one in extra time, made Al Nassr’s dream come true this Saturday: lifting the Arab Club Cup for the first time, after the Saudi team won 2-1 in an electric match against Al Hilal , who started as a favorite having won this competition three times.
With Al Nassr finding it very difficult to get the ball out from the defensive line, Al Hilal took advantage of the talent of Rúben Neves to generate chances, and the Portuguese himself even came close to scoring his first goal in minute 3 with a shot from the front that was glued to the left post.
The speed of Malcom and Saudi Arabian star Salem were Al Hilal’s main asset in the opening minutes, but their aim was off the mark, while intense pressure in midfield forced Al Nassr to dangle balls into the box in search of Cristiano’s jumping power.
Al Hilal was a wall. Especially Koulibaly and Kanno, who did not lose sight of Cristiano or Mané. The Senegalese was not successful, who woke up the ghosts that haunted him at Bayern Munich.
Marcelo Brozovic led the way for Al Nassr and reigned supreme in midfield, dishing out excellent passes that were wasted – notably by Brazilian winger Taslisca – and even tried shots from outside the box that forced goalkeeper Al Owais to shine.
Without a doubt, the Al Hilal goalkeeper was the best man of the match. His natural instinct to be well positioned, his speed and the height of his jump served to deny a few goals for Al Nassr, including a one-on-one with CR7.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first goal
Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal in Al Nassr vs. Al Hilal. (Video: SSC)
The lack of aim was compensated in the second half, when the stars were finally seen to shine. Both teams came in much more plugged in, especially Al Hilal.
The marker did not take long to move. A masterful pass from the end line to the far post from Malcom sent Michael flying, who at minute 51 headed into the back of the net to make it 1-0 for Al Hilal.
The 27-year-old Brazilian ran towards the corner and appropriated Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “siu” to celebrate his goal. The picaresque earned him a fan of Al Nassr to throw a bottle of water at his head.
Al Nassr reacted after the goal until in minute 71 the referee sent off one of their central defenders, Al Amri, for an aggressive tackle against Malcom, who left alone to face the goalkeeper.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 2-1 goal of Al Nassr vs. Al Hilal. (Video: SSC)
The numerical inferiority, it seems, was good for Al Nassr and Cristiano. The five-time Ballon d’Or player finished off a masterful pass measured to the millimeter with pleasure that put Al Ghannam a couple of meters from the goal line. CR7 showed that his instincts are still intact and he celebrated the goal by waving his finger, as if he were sending a “I told you so” message to Michael.
The Portuguese was about to score the second with just a little left until regulation time ended, but the referee signaled offside and the game went to extra time, which offered a shower of chances at the height of the signings of both equipment.
Al Boleahi took a shot from Cristiano from ‘chalaca’ under the sticks, which he did not forgive a few minutes later. The Ivorian Seko Fofana crashed a threaded right hand against the crossbar and CR7 was perfectly positioned to head the rebound into the back of the net to put the final 1-2 in minute 98.
Cristiano celebrated it with rage. With a rage that is worth a title, Ronaldo’s first at Al Nassr after a season in which he aroused more disappointment than illusion. Although it was not all good news for the Portuguese, who left injured at the end of extra time when colliding with Mohamed Jahfali in a jump.
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2023-08-13 03:03:14
#Cristiano #Ronaldo #champion #lifted #title #Nassr #Saudi #Arabia #VIDEOS #FOOTBALLINTERNATIONAL
