New Delhi: Al Ettifaq defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr 3-2 on the road Friday in a Saudi Pro League 2024–24 match at Al Awal Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, thanks to Georginio Wijnaldum. Boxing great Oleksandr Usyk watched the match, which was an emotional rollercoaster that finished with Wijnaldum’s game-winning curler from outside the box in the 89th minute.
Goalkeeping mastery was displayed in the first half, with both Al Nassr’s Bento and Ettifaq’s Marek Rodak making vital stops. Bento made a superb double save to stop Wijnaldum and Radhi Al Otaibi in the first half’s stoppage time, while Rodak repeatedly denied Ronaldo. Besodes these few moments, there was hardly any sort of major chance created by either of the two sides, marking a dead-locked first half, with both the sides lacking in the finishing department.
Full time pic.twitter.com/WLoxlBCaSc
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) February 21, 2025
A dramatic second half
Two minutes after the restart, Nassr seized the lead. The impasse was broken when Sadio Mane’s precise cross was headed into the net by Ayman Yahya. Wijnaldum capitalized on a mistake made by Mohammed Al Fatil, a defender for Al Nassr, in the 55th minute. To equalize, the former Liverpool player calmly rounded off Bento and put it in.
The celebration was cut short when the offside flag was hoisted. But the goal stood after the inspection. Al Fatil’s redemption came ten minutes later. The defender who made the error that allowed Ettifaq to equalize came up highest from the corner to restore Al Nassr’s lead. Al Fatil was the center of attention once more in the 81st minute when he attempted to defend a Jack Hendry cross and sent the ball into his own net.
The home crowd, including boxing star Oleksandr Usyk, who was in the stadium wearing an Al Nassr shirt, was devastated when Wijnaldum gave his team the lead for the first time with a stunning long-range goal one minute before the end of regulation time. Jhon Duran, the striker for AL Nassr, was sent off for an off-ball incident after the goal. Abdulelah Almalki was slapped by the Colombian striker.
The loss hurt Al Nassr’s chances of winning the league title and put an end to their five-game winning streak. Following the outcome, Ronaldo’s team fell to fourth place, eight points behind league leader Al Ittihad, who still have a game to play.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr just couldn’t get the job done, as their hopes of winning the title took a massive hit after a narrow defeat against Georginio Wijnaldum’s Al Ettifaq. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
