Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to help Al Nassr overcome Al Ahli 4-3 in a dramatic Saudi Pro League game on Friday in Riyadh.
Early in each half, Ronaldo gave Al Nassr the lead, skillfully foiling numerous comeback attempts by their star-studded opponents.
The former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane set up the Portuguese football great, who scored with a left-footed effort in the fourth minute. After making a sharp move near the penalty area, he then finished clinically with his left foot to score his fourth goal for Al Nassr in the 52nd minute.
While all was going on, Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca scored two goals for Al Ahli in the opening period, one from the penalty spot and the other with a spectacular strike under the crossbar.
Al Ahli was able to tie the score with a single goal at three separate points in the game. Before Feras Al-Brikkan’s goal in the 87th minute, which ensured a 4-3 result, the former Barcelona player Frank Kessie scored in the first half and Algerian winger Riyadh Mahrez converted a penalty in the second.
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Al Nassr has now amassed five straight victories in the league after dropping their opening two games of the year. With their most recent victory, they are now tied for fifth place in the Saudi Pro League with Al Ahli in terms of points.
Al Nassr and Al Ahli are two of the four clubs that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) paid a high price to acquire before the summer, along with three other clubs, to play in the Saudi Pro League.