Ronaldo hat-trick and Mane double steer Al-Nassr to victory

Al Nassr got their first win of the season. After 2 defeats in the first 2 matchdays, the Saudi team got their act together and thrashed Al Fateh 5-0 thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane goalfest. The Portuguese star scored 3 and the Senegalese striker got the other two 2 to complete the rout.

In the 27th minute, CR7 made a great assist to set up the former Liverpool man for the 1-0 lead. With his first touch, he slipped the ball into the box for his team-mate to beat his opponent's goalkeeper and open the scoring. And 11 minutes later, the Portuguese went from assist to goal scorer when he headed home Al Ghannam's cross into the six-yard box.

The 2-0 lead gave Al Nassr a confidence boost and they feasted after the break. In the 55th minute, Cristiano received a gift from Ghareeb, who eluded the keeper with a pass to the former Real Madrid striker, who only had to tap it in. In the final stretch, came the two goals that rounded off the victory.

In the 81st minute, Ghareeb assisted again, this time to Mane, who celebrated his brace in a match which still had time for CR7's icing on the cake. The Madeira native received another dime pass, this time from Boushal, and scored into an empty net at the far post after his team-mate's killer pass for his third hat trick for the Saudi side.

 

August 25, 2023