Ronaldo Strikes as Al Nassr Punish Ittihad’s Defensive Lapses

The spotlight was always going to fall on the reunion of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema—former Real Madrid icons now leading the lines for Al Nassr and Al Ittihad. And it was Ronaldo who delivered the decisive blow.

Al Nassr enjoyed the upper hand in midfield, buoyed by Marcelo Brozović’s return after missing the King Cup clash against Jeddah. For Ittihad, N’Golo Kanté and Fabinho worked tirelessly to steady the ship, but their efforts were undone by vulnerabilities out wide.

Sadio Mané and Kingsley Coman continually stretched the flanks, forcing Ittihad’s fullbacks Ahmed Al-Julaydan and Muath Faqeehi onto the back foot. The breakthrough came when Mané, drifting into space on the left, whipped in a teasing cross.

Ronaldo, timing his run to perfection, rose above his marker and powered home a header—clinical, ruthless, and unstoppable. It was the breathing space Al Nassr craved, and a moment that underlined Ittihad’s struggles in dealing with aerial deliveries.

With João Félix lurking and Coman’s pace unrelenting, Ittihad’s defense now faces an uphill battle to keep the contest alive.