Al-Nassr’s hunt for a top three place in the Saudi Pro League suffered yet another critical hit as Cristiano Ronaldo’s side lost 2-1 to Al-Orobah.
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Ronaldo unable to impact SPL clashRiyadh club beaten by mid-table hostsPioli's team sit third in top-flightFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱TELL ME MORE
The Riyadh side look set to miss out on the Saudi Pro League title yet again as they sit nine points off leaders Al-Ittihad. However, the Faris Najd are looking to secure a top-three finish to gain a spot in next season’s AFC Champions League.
Al-Orobah started strong but the visitors quickly grew into the game without having conceded an early goal. The visitors, however, were unable to find an opening through Al-Orobah’s water-tight defence. The hosts then took the lead in the 40th minute as Omar Al-Somah beat Bento with a slick finish after a quick counter-attack and took their lead into half-time.
However, Stefano Pioli’s Al-Nassr were quick off the blocks in the second half as half-time substitute Nawaf Boushal scored from Angelo’s pinpoint through ball. However, the parity between the two sides only lasted for 14 minutes as former Burnley star Johann Gudmundsson scored a delightful long-range goal past Al-Nassr’s Brazilian goalkeeper to give them the lead for the second time on the night against the run of play.
Al-Nassr kept trying to chip at Al-Orobah’s defence and had two key chances to get back into the clash, however, Jhon Duran and Ronaldo were off-target and failed to get the three points for the side.
AdvertisementTHE MVP
Al-Orobah goalkeeper Rafi Al-Ruwaili can be highly delighted with himself after the game he has had against Roanldo and company. The Saudi Arabian goalkeeper, who only came into the starting eleven in the last game, made six crucial saves in the game and was also responsible for stopping a number of Al-Nassr attacks with his quick sweeping.
Getty Images SportTHE BIG LOSER
It was another one of those nights for Ronaldo as the Portuguese superstar failed to link up with the rest of his attack as he was liable for a few key attacks breaking down despite Angelo’s best effort through the first half. On the other hand, Al-Nassr’s shiny new signing Jhon Duran, also failed to live up to the billing as he missed two crucial chances in the second half.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Al-Nassr will now have to shift their focus to the AFC Champions League as they take on Iranian side Esteghlal in the first leg of their round of 16 clash on Monday, March 3.
