Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab: Match Highlight

Watch the Highlights: Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab

This summer saw a significant rise in the number of stars in the Saudi Pro League, but Cristiano Ronaldo remains the one who stands out above the rest.

Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab: Match Preview

What a performance! 💯
Good job, guys 👏 pic.twitter.com/K15dUcCs39

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) August 29, 2023

The Portuguese superstar of Al Nassr led his team to a 4-0 thumping of Al Shabab on Tuesday, its second straight resounding victory. He scored two penalties and had the opportunity to score more.

The Saudi team lost its first two league games of the season, which put Ronaldo and company behind in the fight for the championship. However, since then, they have scored nine goals and given up none during their last two games. Five of those goals have been scored by Ronaldo, who also scored a brace at home after scoring a hat-trick at Al Fateh the previous time around.

Al Nassr scored nine goals in just two games, giving them six points so far this season as they try to catch up in the Saudi Pro League title battle.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot, but on a few times, he fell just short of a hat trick. Al Nassr thoroughly deserved to win because Al Shabab never presented a danger to the opposing back line. Ronaldo was always a threat, while Marcelo Brozovic was a machine in midfield.

Starting lineups:

Al Nassr (4-3-3, right to left): 44. Alaqidi (GK) — 2. S. Al Ghanam (Boushal, 81′), 4. Fatil, 27. Laporte (M. Ali, 81′, 13. Konan — 17. Alkhaibari, 25. Otavio (Al Nemer, 85′), 77. Brozovic — 10. Mane (K. Al Ghannam, 81′), 7. Ronaldo (Al Sulaiheem, 85′), 29. Ghareeb

Al Shabab (4-5-1, right to left): 18. Kim (GK) — 27. Sagourq, 4. Santos, 88. Al Sharari (Sharahili, 66′), 16. Al Sibyani — 90. Al Muwallad (Kanabah, 66′), 15. Al Monassar, 6. Cuellar, 10. Banega, 11. Bahbri (Harbush, 88′) — 20. Diallo (Al Jawaey, 88′)

Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab live updates, highlights, commentary

FULLTIME: Al Nassr 4-0 Al Shabab

Al Nassr scored nine goals in just two games, giving them six points so far this season as they try to catch up in the Saudi Pro League title battle.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot, but on a few times, he fell just short of a hat trick. Al Nassr thoroughly deserved to win because Al Shabab never presented a danger to the opposing back line. Ronaldo was always a threat, while Marcelo Brozovic was a machine in midfield.

Al Shabab eventually lost all composure and started intentionally fouling Sadio Mane. When things reached a breaking point, Ever Banega was dismissed for a particularly heinous tackle. a thorough performance from the hosts.

Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab: Second Half

90+3 seconds: Al Nassr is awarded a penalty after referee Ismael Elfath made the call! Fawaz Al Sagourq challenges the custodian outside the 18-yard box, but as he falls to the ground, he snatches the ball right inside the top corner of the penalty area.

But hold on! He reverses course and calls it a foul just a few inches beyond the penalty area! For the hosts, the set-piece is useless.

Cristiano Ronaldo will not complete his hat trick in the 85th minute because Jorge Jesus will stand by his hero for the final five minutes. Meshari Al Nemer, who is playing for Al Nassr for the first time this season, is also brought in to replace Otavio.

Additionally, Al Shabab added two new players Mohammed Harbush and Abdullah Al Jawaey.

Sultan Al Ghanam scored in the 81st minute, and Jorge Jesus then replaced him along with Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte in a triple substitution. Mane should be taken out because he was the subject of a couple of late tackles in addition to having a yellow card.

80:00: A goal! ALLAH NASSR! Sultan Al Ghanam scores in the fourth and it’s a goal! Cristiano Ronaldo comes close to completing his hat trick with an incredible off-balance header, but he hits the post instead. Al Ghanam completes the move by grabbing the rebound and putting it inside his near post.

RED CARD, AL SHABAB, at minute 76. More handbags are dropped as Hattan Bahbri is struck by Ever Banega, who after being nutmegged, scissors the Al Nassr forward and receives a booking. After the altercation before halftime, Al Shabab has been focusing on Mane this half.

Ever Banega receives a yellow card for pushing an Al Nassr player after the incident. However, following a VAR review, Banega is sent for an abhorrent tackle that came immediately after the Mane foul, which was only discovered on review. He tackles Sultan Al Ghanam with studs up high, which is a bad move. This time, VAR gets it right, assisting referee Ismael Elfath who was unable to observe Banega’s challenge since he was concentrating on the initial yellow card tackle.

We’ve arrived at our second half-hydration break in the 71st minute. Al Shabab is making way too many errors to get back into this one, even though it has been quick after the break.

Chance, Al Shabab in the 68th minute! Two obstacles stand in the way of Hamid Diallo’s progress: the post and Nawaf Alaqidi. The initial delivery was while the flag was raised, so it wouldn’t have mattered. The game’s best opportunity for them!

Chance, Al Nassr in the 67th minute! The flag is raised even though Cristiano Ronaldo has the ball in the net for his hat-trick! Otavio’s miles offside on the first feed, and it was the proper call.

65th minute: Sadio Mane hits the post with a shot, but the flag is raised for Cristiano Ronaldo after the initial pass, which was the correct call just beyond the halfway point.

Penalty, Al Nassr! 62nd minute This is the third penalty kick of the game, and it was the right call! While roaming the midfield, Marcelo Brozovic locates Otavio near the top of the penalty 

area for a shot. 

Wow, it seems like Cristiano Ronaldo won’t take the penalty and complete his hat-trick. Abdulrahman Ghareeb receives the ball from Sadio Mane after he gets possession of it. The winger for Al Nassr advances, and HE HITS THE POST! He cannot locate the net. The whistle sounds because Ghareeb cannot touch the ball again if the custodian doesn’t when it rebounded directly back to him!

60th minute: Al Nassr has a chance! Cristiano Ronaldo is almost amazing! Oh, that’s not at all far off! When a touchline tackle goes wrong, Sadio Mane seizes the opportunity to switch to Ronaldo on the other side of the pitch. Ronaldo attempts a one-touch finish, but his rocket just sails agonizingly wide after being well-aimed at the top-right corner. Close by!

Seung-Gyu Kim makes a clumsy stop on Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s speculative shot in the 59th minute, but Al Nassr continues to test him.

55th minute: Al Nassr has a chance! Cristiano Ronaldo is clear through on goal, but Ever Banega’s most recent error results in an offside flag being raised as Ronaldo fires a volley right at Seung-Gyu Kim.

49th minute: Al Nassr has a chance! The home team is content to let Al Shabab control the ball and choose their opportunities, and they do so when Sultan Al Ghanam charges forward and fires a shot. Seung-Gyu Kim is forced to perform an ungainly but acrobatic save as a result, over-diving too far and having to reach back for the final blow.

Kickoff: The teams have re-entered the pitch, and play has resumed. Al Nassr is in charge of this match, and although Al Shabab had some promising moments, they are currently in second place and will need to make significant changes.

HALFTIME: Al Nassr 3-0 Al Shabab

Al Shabab has a few strong moments in the final seconds of the first half, but they can’t quite produce any truly scary situations since they have too few players up front.

Al Nassr deserves to be in the lead despite the truly bizarre first half. The American officiating team had a bad opening 45 minutes, with referee Ismael Elfath and VAR official Allen Chapman consistently making the wrong mistake. The first goal was scored after a terrible penalty was awarded on VAR, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was later overturned by an equally poor VAR review.

Then, with barely any contact, Ronaldo was awarded a questionable penalty. The icing on the cake is that Sadio Mane, who collided with Iago Santos but chose to stay on the pitch, probably also ought to have been dismissed. However, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored twice overall from the penalty spot, and Mane has also scored. Al Shabab has come a long way.

Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab: First Half

43 minutes: Fight! Everything has begun! Iago Santos and Sadio Mane have gotten together and started fighting! After the ball has left the pitch, Mane offers Santos a small push, but there isn’t much there. Mane refused to back down when Santos showed his dissatisfaction and instead fired what might have qualified as a punch, or at the very least an open hand, directly into the Al Shabab defender’s face.

Both receive warnings, and Mane will feel himself fortunate to be still on the pitch. There are six additional minutes displayed because there were several pauses in the first half.

40th minute: A goal! ALLAH NASSR! Sadio Mane gains space thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s creative turn and vertical pass to the former Liverpool player. A superb finish is then produced by Mane, who slides to meet the ball while maintaining control as he clips it inside Seung-Gyu Kim’s near post. With it, the hosts are fleeing!

Penalty, Al Nassr, 36 minutes! Another penalty has been awarded to Cristiano Ronaldo. Again, the officials’ calls are soft, but there is a tiny nudge from Gustavo Cuellar into Ronaldo’s back, causing him to fall to the ground with ease and securing the call.

When CR7 steps up to receive his brace, he shoots his penalty right where it was before! GOAL! ALLAH NASSR! Seung-Gyu Kim waits too long to commit and is unable to deliver the devastating blow.

33rd minute: After the game resumes, Al Shabab receives a second booking for a dragback on Cristiano Ronaldo by Nader Al Sharari.

The cooling-off period begins in the 30th minute, and Cristiano Ronaldo is still visibly upset over his goal being disallowed. During a conversation with his head coach Jorge Jesus, he scrunches up his face.

He then engages in another passionate discussion with referee Ismael Elfath, and his body language makes it clear what he is trying to say. He is properly saying that he wasn’t pressing his defender as much as he was just opening up space with his arms. He is correct, and the referee team is mistaken. However, he must proceed with it.

28th minute: Ever Banega has been tenacious in the middle for Al Shabab despite the game being a little cagey after the goal was disallowed. He almost lets an assailant in again, but it is stopped at the last second.

Hussain Alsebyani receives the game’s first yellow card after launching himself headfirst into a tackle that also sent Otavio flying through the air. It’s a terrible tackle, and based on how strongly Ismael Elfath displayed the yellow card, it almost certainly warranted a harsher penalty.

18th minute: Al Nassr has a chance! The second goal by Cristiano Ronaldo has been scored! This goal by CR7 is a classic open-play score! Cristiano Ronaldo rises sharply to meet it at a corner and drives home into the opposite top corner. From the perspective of Al Shabab, the situation is chaotic because Ronaldo had two guys after him, but they collided and tripped one other, leaving the Al Nassr striker by himself.

Hold on, please. It appears like Ismael Elfath will review this for a foul on Ronaldo as he returns to the monitor. He causes the collision by pushing one defender into the other. To be honest, it’s yet another laughable choice, and Ronaldo is SO ANGRY over the call that he needs to talk to Elfath to calm down. There isn’t enough there to review and make a call!

Two VAR rulings, neither of which is compelling. One decision favored Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr, while the other was the opposite. finally cancels out!

PENALTY, AL NASSR, 1st minute! How about this instead? Allen Chapman, a fellow American, used VAR to send a handball call on the screen for Ismael Elfath to evaluate. Al Nassr is handed it as a PUNISHMENT! Since Hattan Bahbri, the leaping defender, has his arm down by his side when the cross comes in, it clatters against it without any apparent purpose.

When called upon, Cristiano Ronaldo scores! SUCCESS, AL NASSR! He gives Kim the incorrect message.

10th minute: Al Nassr has a chance! Seung-Gyu Kim had to dive to save Marcelo Brozovic’s long-range rip shot. It’s a low, driving effort that Kim has to dive stop by moving to his right to parry away.

9th minute: An enormous switch by Al Nassr allows Abdulrahman Ghareeb to throw a dangerous cross to the near post for a streaking Otavio, but it just misses him. The delivery by Marcelo Brozovic is subpar as it travels out for a corner.

6th minute: Al Shabab has a chance! Habib Diallo is sent through on goal by visiting 

defensive midfielder Gustavo Cuellar after he bursts onto the pitch. However, the flag is raised for offside. A good rebuttal!

In the fourth minute, Sultan Al Ghanam bursts forward from his right-back position to provide Al Nassr the game’s first corner. Although Al Nassr started with the majority of the attacking possession in this match, Al Shabab has not given up. Despite a handful of his signature stepovers, Cristiano Ronaldo fails to find anyone with his floated ball into the mixer.

Kickoff: King Saud University has started the game! Ismael Elfath, an American official who regularly officiates in Major League Soccer and CONCACAF championships, is the referee. He was chosen to oversee World Cup matches at the most recent tournament in Qatar.