Cristiano Ronaldo showcased an extraordinary assist for Sadio Mane, resulting in Al Nassr taking a 1-0 lead on Friday evening.
During their third Saudi Pro League match of the season, under Luis Castro’s management, Al Nassr faced off against Al Fateh. Mane, a recent addition to the team, secured the lead by scoring his second goal for Al Nassr.
In the 27th minute, the former Liverpool forward executed a finely crafted chip to find the back of the net. The assist, however, was a result of Ronaldo’s exceptional individual skill, as he set up the play with his brilliance.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner came up with a sensational backheel pass for Mane to latch onto as the two superstars quickly developed a telepathic understanding on the pitch.
Jason Denayer, formerly of Manchester City and Celtic, was completely undone by the skill
WHAT AN ASSIST BY RONALDO ON MANÉ!!
0-1AL NASSR pic.twitter.com/imYybYiley
— Lars (@UTDLars) August 25, 2023
MANE WHAT A GOAL RONALDO WHAT AN INSANE PASS!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/xqzn7kO2nR
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) August 25, 2023
THE GREATEST PLAYMAKER WHEN HE WANTS TO BE. pic.twitter.com/0RKqKlAR7r
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) August 25, 2023
Ronaldo then made it 2-0 shortly after with a simple header from close range and Al Nassr are now on course to pick up their first win of the new league season following two straight defeats to Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq and Al Taawoun.
RONALDO WHAT A HEADER!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/8VUjc2NmQ6
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) August 25, 2023
🚨🚨| GOAL: Ronaldo doubles the lead for Al Nassr
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) August 25, 2023
Al Nassr did win the Arab Club Champions Cup, with Ronaldo collecting the Golden Boot after a 2-1 win over Al Hilal in the final.
They were in danger of crashing out of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday, having trailed 2-1 to UAE outfit Al Shabab going into the dying embers.
But then the hosts staged quite the comeback, with Sultan Al Ghannam equalising in the 88th minute.
Anderson Talisca popped up with a huge goal in the 95th minute and then Marcelo Brozovic put the result beyond doubt by making it 4-2 with a strike from distance.
Ronaldo had thrown a strop earlier on in the clash after been denied two penalties in the first half. One was for a clear handball blocking his acrobatic effort, with the other coming in a situation where he was blocked off inside the area.
After walking off the pitch at half-time, the Portuguese superstar appeared to tell an official to “wake up” and shouted “F***ing hell!”.
He also shoved a nearby spectator who had tried to take a selfie.