It was another comfortable day in the office for Al Nassr as it clinched a 5-1 win against Al Hazem to make it three wins in the same number of matches in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Otavio, Abdullah Al-Khaibari and Abdulrahman Ghareeb got on the scoresheet for Al Nassr. Muhammad Badamosi scored the only goal of the match for Al Hazem.
The opening goal of the match came in the 33rd minute. Al Hazem gave away the ball cheaply, and Mane pounced on the mistake. He sent the ball to Ronaldo, who spotted Ghareeb making a run to his left. He slipped the ball to Ghareeb, who found the far corner with a deft touch.
AL HAZEM VS AL NASSR HIGHLIGHTS
Mane thought he had doubled Al Nassr’s lead three minutes later after he tapped in Ghareeb’s cross from the left. However, the goal was ruled out by VAR as a foul was given against Sultan Al-Ghannam because he elbowed his marker before crossing the ball to Ghareeb. Ghannam also saw a yellow card after Mane’s goal was rescinded.
With the half having many lengthy stoppages due to VAR checks and injuries, 12 minutes was added on at the end of half-time.
Al Hazem thought it would go into half-time with a 1-0 deficit, but in the eighth minute of additional time, Al-Khaibari scored from a corner to make it 2-0.
The ball was flicked at the back-post by an Al Hazem player as the cross came in. Al-Khaibari, who was there in the right place at the right time, blasted the ball inside the net on the volley.
Al Hazem pulled a goal back early in the second-half courtesy of a wonder goal by Muhammad Badamosi, who found the net with a rocket of shot from almost 35 yards out in the 47th minute.
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But, any hopes of a comeback were squashed in the 57th minute as Otavio scored his first goal for Al Nassr. It was a goal that symbolised excellent understanding and teamwork.
Brozovic slipped a pass to Ronaldo at the edge of the box, which split open the Al Hazem defence. Ronaldo, instead of going for the shot, squared the ball to Otavio in the middle, who tapped the ball inside the open net.
It was time for Ronaldo to join the party for Al Nassr’s fourth. in the 68th minute.
Mane found Ghareeb with a cutback from the left flank. Ghareeb could have gone for the shot but instead set up Ronaldo, who had ample time and space to blast the ball inside the net.
Al Nassr’s dominating performance was capped off by a fifth goal in the 78th minute as Mane got on the scoresheet at the end of another excellent attacking move.
Ronaldo did well to spot Ghareeb and passed the ball to him. Ghareeb saw that Mane was free on the left flank and found him with an accurate pass. The Senegalese went for a first-time shot and found the bottom-right corner, with Al Hazem keeper Aymen Dahmen being a spectator as the ball flew in.
