Cristiano Ronaldo endured a poor night in front of goal as Ivan Toney’s brace helped Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday. The former Brentford star had put his side 2-0 up before Al-Nassr rallied to level proceedings by half-time, but Merih Demiral’s effort ensured Al-Ahli earned the points before two red cards were dished out in stoppage time.
Ronaldo suffers poor evening as Toney strikes twice
An all-action first half saw four strikes hit the back of the net, with Toney converting in the seventh minute to hand Al-Ahli an early lead. Things got even better for the hosts when the former Brentford striker latched onto a long ball from the back to finish powerfully for his second goal of the night.
The visitors were shellshocked but were gifted a route back into the contest courtesy of a howler from goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi, who allowed Abdulelah Al-Amri’s hopeful effort from distance to bounce through his legs.
With Ronaldo out of sorts, it was again the centre-back who struck for Al-Nassr to level proceedings. Marcelo Brozovic’s out-swinging corner was met by the Saudi Arabian defender, whose firm header couldn’t be reached by Al-Sanbi.
Toney made another telling contribution just before the hour mark, producing a brilliant flick to keep a set-piece alive and allow Merih Demiral to head in and make it 3-2.
Al-Nassr huffed and puffed in their pursuit of an equaliser but with Ronaldo and Joao Felix both off form they couldn’t haul themselves level again. There was some late drama as both Ali Majrashi and Nawaf Al-Boushail were sent off in stoppage time, but that was inconsequential as Al-Nassr fell to a first league defeat of the season, offering Al-Hilal the chance to usurp them at the top of the table on Sunday.
The MVP
On a big night in the Saudi Pro League title race, it was Ivan Toney who got the better of his illustrious opposite number. The England international’s brace handed Al-Ahli an early lead to set his side on course for victory, even if Al-Nassr managed to claw the score back to 2-2. His only regret for the night might be missing a relatively straightforward opportunity for a hat-trick, seeing his shot clip the post and trickle behind.
Al-Ahli may still be six points behind Al-Nassr even with this win, but Toney’s strike will have filled the squad with confidence as they look to eat up that deficit.
The big loser
With three goals being scored by centre-backs, it clearly wasn’t a night for strikers. However, Cristiano Ronaldo will still have been left unsatisfied by how the evening played out.
The Portuguese legend was a total passenger during the first half as the game passed him by, while he completely fluffed one chance to bring his side level to 3-3 with a rusty piece of self control as the ball trickled through to the goalkeeper. He later blazed a long shot high and wide and gestured to the heavens with frustration, showing his own exasperation at his poor performance.
Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
