The Saudi Pro League leaders defeated Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, 2-1 at King Abdullah Sport City.
Al-Ittihad defeats Al-Nassr Ronaldo’s team 2-1, falling 11 points short of the lead.
In injury time, Bergwijn scored the winning goal.
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Karim Benzema nearly scored twice before the 20th minute, giving the home team the advantage in the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr, which started slowly.Bento’s heroics and an offside goal during the build-up, however, prevented the game from scoring its first goal of the evening.
As Ronaldo tried to establish himself at King Abdullah Sport City, Sadio Mane appeared to be Al-Nassr’s most effective forward. The Senegalese forward, however, went one-on-one with Predrag Rajkovic and beat the keeper with a feint but was unable to get a shot off, missing a crucial opportunity for Al-Nassr.
Al-Ittihad increased their pressure in the second half, and Benzema’s goal past Bento gave the Saudi Pro League leaders the lead. However, Ronaldo’s goal after a well-executed cross into the box ended the lead’s duration.
Steven Bergwijn’s goal in injury time for Blanc’s team reversed the tide of the match, putting Al-Nassr fourth in the rankings behind Al-Hilal and Al-Quadisiyah and 11 points behind the Saudi Pro League leaders.
The Al-Ittihad defender packed up the backline for Laurent Blanc’s team, and Ronaldo stayed silent for the majority of the match, making Danilo Pereira the clear best player on the field. The Al-Ittihad defender had three interceptions and one clearance off the line at the end of the game.
UP NEXT?
Following the conclusion of the winter, Al-Nassr will play their next match on January 9 at Al-Awwal Park against Al-Akhdoud.
