Roshn Saudi League: Last season’s runners-up Al-Nassr haven’t had the best of starts to their 2023/24 Saudi top-flight campaign. Their loss to Al-Taawoun on Matchday 2 was their second consecutive loss after losing to Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq on the Matchday 1.
Last night at KSU Football Field, home of Al-Nassr, star striker Cristiano Ronaldo played his first match of Saudi Pro League in what is his first full season at the club. He signed for the club mid-season last year on a lucrative deal running until 2025.
Al Taawoun 1-0 Al Nassr
After their loss against Al Ettifaq last week, Al Nassr are behind once again!
Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t look happy…
— Owen 🔰 (@OwenUnitedView) August 18, 2023
He guided the team to their first trophy of the season by scoring 2 late goals in the Arab Club Champions Cup final against Al-Hilal. It was Al-Nassr’s first silverware since their Saudi Super Cup win in 2020. The 9-time RSL winners will be hoping to add a 10th title this season.
They could have won it last year itself but Al-Ittihad snatched the title from them by just 5 points. Their aim to win the league received back-to-back setbacks. A 2-1 loss to Ettifaq followed by a 2-0 loss to Taawoun. Al-Nassr’s loss last night was rather even more cruel than the first loss.
The home team registered 24 shots, 5 on target and none of them went to the back of the net. Most of Al-Nassr’s attackers – Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Talisca and Marcelo Brozovic remained highly unlucky as the ball just did not go inside Mailson’s goal.
Al-Nassr also had a giant share of possession, 61%-39% but it was Al-Taawoun who scored the goals. They opened the scoring through Leandro Tawamba’s 20th minute header and Ahmed Bahusayn doubled the lead in dying minutes of full-time when Al-Nassr were left frustrated with missed chances.
Up next, Al-Nassr will take on Shabab Al-Ahli on 22 August in AFC Champions League play-off match before travelling to Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Stadium for Saudi Pro League matchday 3 against Al-Fateh.