The game kicked off with great enthusiasm as Al Nassr swiftly took the lead in the 13th minute. A handball offense by an Al Shabab player inside the penalty area resulted in Ronaldo stepping up confidently to convert the penalty, leaving the keeper with no chance.
Just four minutes later, the Portuguese superstar found the back of the net again, seemingly doubling his tally for the night. However, VAR detected an infringement by an Al Nassr player in the build-up, leading to the disallowance of the goal. The decision was met with frustration from both sides of the pitch.
Al Nassr maintained firm control over the proceedings, with their constellation of stars including Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, and the newly recruited Aymeric Laporte showcasing their superior abilities compared to Al Shabab.
In the 37th minute, Gustavo Cuellar of Al Shabab committed a foul inside the penalty box. Ronaldo once again assumed responsibility for the spot-kick and coolly extended the lead. Just three minutes later, Ronaldo turned provider, setting up Mane for the third goal of the evening.
After the break, Al Nassr showed no signs of slowing down, relentlessly pressuring the visitors. In the 63rd minute, the home team was awarded their third penalty of the match, but Abdulrahman Ghareeb missed the opportunity to add to the scoreline as Ronaldo generously passed the responsibility to him.
With moments to spare, Sultan Al Ghannam sealed the 4-0 victory for the home side. As a result of this impressive win, Al Nassr catapulted to sixth place in the league standings, accumulating 6 points from their first 4 matches.
Final Score: Al Nassr 4-0 Al Shabab
Goal Scorers:
Al Nassr: Ronaldo (13′ pen, 37′ pen), Mane (41′), Al Ghannam (80′)
Starting Lineups for Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab:
Al Nassr: Al Aqidi, Konan, Laporte, Al Fatil, Al Ghannam, Brozovic, Al Khaibari, Mane, Otavio, Ghareeb, Ronaldo.
Al Shabab: Kim Seung Gyu, Al Saqour, Al Sharari, Iago, Al Sibyani, Al Harbi, Al Qahtani, Cuellar, Banega, Bahbri, Diallo.
While Al Nassr undoubtedly delivered an impressive performance, the controversy surrounding Ronaldo’s second goal will undoubtedly linger, sparking further discussions about the role of VAR and the accuracy of refereeing decisions in football.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second goal in the match against Al Shabab, which was initially disallowed by the referee, has been confirmed as valid by the Arab Saudi Football Federation Refereeing Committee. The match’s head referee has subsequently been suspended pending further investigation – stay tuned for more details.
