Al Nassr continued their superb start to the Saudi Pro League season as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane teamed up to deliver a significant win on Friday.
Goals from SPL superstar Ronaldo and Mane spurred Al Nassr to a 2-0 victory over Al Ittihad, lifting the Riyadh club three points clear of the champions on top of the standings.
Mane opened the scoring and then provided the assist to Ronaldo as the Portuguese striker made it 2-0 in the 35th minute.
Al Nassr maintained their perfect start to the season with their fourth consecutive league victory. They lead the table with 12 points. Al Ittihad dropped to second after suffering their first defeat of the season.
Mane broke the deadlock just nine minutes into the match as he fired a first-time shot into the net.
Twenty six minutes later, Mane sent in a cross that Ronaldo headed in from close range past goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
The goal was Ronaldo’s fourth in the league this season, placing him second in the scoring charts, just one goal behind teammate and fellow Portuguese Joao Felix, who missed several chances during the match.
Al Ittihad, meanwhile, struggled for much of the game, managing only two shots on target. They showed signs of life late in the second half but failed to break past Brazilian goalkeeper Bento.
After the match, Ronaldo, who took his career goals tally to 946, celebrated the win on social media.
“This is Al Nassr! This is who we are!” he posted on X.
Ronaldo's former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand lauded a clinical performance from the Portuguese great.
“It was businesslike”, Ferdinand, also a commentator for league broadcaster Thmanyah, who quoted as saying by the Saudi Pro League website.
“I said to him, ‘You look like you could win the league this year’,” Ferdinand added. “But he said, ‘Hey, one game at a time'.”
Al Nassr manager Jorge Jesus was pleased with the result against a top side like Al Ittihad, but admitted his side spurned a few chances.
"A good victory against the title holders. We were better today. We scored two goals but missed many chances, and it could have been a big result. The most important thing is to return from Jeddah with the three points," Jesus said.
"[However] the most important thing is to talk about our victory, not about the number of attacks we missed. All teams are improving. Al Ittihad have been working steadily for two seasons. Everyone is improving in the league, and Al Nassr is one of them."
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
Expert advice
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
