Al Nassr 3-1 Abha highlights, King Cup quarterfinal: Sami, Al-Khaibari, Marran goals guide Ronaldo and Co to semis
Highlights of the Al Nassr vs Abha King Cup of Champion quarterfinal match played at the King Saud University Stadium.
Updated : Mar 14, 2023 22:11 IST
File Photo: Al Nassr’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo stands over a free-kick during the Saudi Pro League football match between Al-Nassr and Al-Batin at the Mrsool Park Stadium in the Saudi capital Riyadh on March 3, 2023. | Photo Credit: AFP
Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the Al Nassr vs Abha King Cup of Champion quarterfinal match played at the King Saud University Stadium.
Al Nassr clinches a comfortable 3-1 win against Abha to qualify for the King Cup of Champions semifinal
It has been a walk in the park for Al Nassr in all honesty. It is minutes away from qualifying for the semis.
Five minuted added at the end of the second-half!!
Talisca trying to make an immediate impact as he tries to direct the ball at goal with a powerful header. However, nothing comes from it. It was always going to difficult from such a tight angle.
Al Nassr subs: IN- Talisca, Lajami OUT- Ronaldo, Marran
Ronaldo tries to find Masharipov with a pass from the left flank but cannot find the latter as his pass is intercepted.
Alhassan times his run well to get at the end of a through ball. He decides to cut in instead of shooting from the outside of his marker. His tries to blast the ball at the near-post but cannot keep his effort down as the ball goes out for a Abha goalkick.
Abha subs: IN- Al-Omran, Meziani OUT- Al-Sudani, Bguir
Al Nassr subs: IN- Qasheesh, Masharipov OUT- Al-Sulaiheem, Ghareeb
Ronaldo’s freekick is disappointing as his shot hits the wall. Abha gets the ball away.
Booking: Fahad Al-Jumayah sees a yellow card for his challenge on Ronaldo. However, the replay does not show any contact.
GOOOOALLLL!! ABHA PULLS ONE BACK!! ABDULFATTAH SCORES!!! Nawaf makes a good save from a long-distance shot but could not push the ball away from danger. Abdulfattah is the first to reach the ball from the rebound and slots it ball into the net from close-range.
Save: It is a rocket of a shot by Alhassan from the edge of the box. The ball would have surely ended up at the back of the net but Epassy makes a brilliant save as the ball rattles the crossbar and comes back into play.
Al Nassr sub: IN- Alhassan OUT- Al-Najei
Save: Abdulfattah gets a wonderful header on target minutes after coming on, but Nawaf makes a save by diving at full-stretch. It was a good header but did not have the necessary power required to beat the Al Nassr keeper.
Abha subs: IN- Al-Selouli, Abdulfattah OUT- Saddifi, Al-Sadi
Abha players cannot find that yard of space in order to shoot on target.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo starts a counter-attack, which ends with a shot on goal getting blocked. Al Nassr players want a penalty but the referee waved play on.
Ronaldo sends the ball into the middle as he stabs a cross from the left flank. However, no one read the ball and the Abha goal is not threatened.
Nawaf gets a shot away from inside the AL Nassr box but his body shape is all wrong as the effort is not on target.
GOOOOALLL!! AL NASSR SCORES ITS THIRD!! MARRAN FINDS THE NET!! There is no communication between the Abha backline as the goal was left empty as Elpassy tried to palm away a cross, attacked by Marran. But, the clearance is weak and Marran is first to reach to the ball and put it inside the net for Al Nassr’s third.
Ronaldo leaves the ball for Sami. The dummy works as Sami has some open space to work with. He then, tries to pass the ball to Ronaldo to his right but his pass is intercepted.
Sami squares the ball in the middle but there was no Al Nassr player to attack the cross. Abha gets the ball with ease and looks to create something.
The Al Nassr vs Abha King Cup of Champion quarterfinal second-half has kicked-off at the King Saud University Stadium.
Al Nassr leads Abha by a scoreline of 2-0 at the break in this King Cup quarterfinal match.
Booking: Ronaldo sees a yellow card for dissent. The reason was the referee blowing his whistle for half-time as soon as Ronaldo looked to break with the ball.
Abha’s quality in the final third has been disappointing today. Time and again, loose balls have been delivered inside the Al Nassr box. The home team defence hasn’t had to do much.
Two minutes added at the end of the first-half!!
Ronaldo picks the ball up in a good position near the Abha box. He cuts in and takes a couple of touches before shooting low with his left. He aimed for the far-corner but sees his effort go wide.
Abha yet to create a clear goalscoring opportunity since Alvaro’s goalline clearance in the second minute.
Ronaldo looked to be onside as a ball is played to him over the top. Ronaldo makes a run into the Abha box and shoots. The shot is saved by Epassy but it would not have mattered anyway as the flag goes up for offside.
Ronaldo tries to play a one-two and almost pulls if off, but the final ball to the Portuguese is heavy and Epassy reads the situation well to come off his line and collect the ball before the Portuguese could reach it.
STAT: Al Nassr is dominating the ball with 62% of the ball. It is too easy for the home team right now.
Ronaldo gets the ball outside the Abha box and shoots from distance. However, his shot is blocked and Abha gets the ball.
Abha has had two good opportunities from freekicks to put pressure on Al Nassr but it has wasted both the chances.
Booking: Al Nassr’s Al-Sulaiheem is shown a yellow card.
Booking: Abha’sSaddiki becomes the first player to get booked in the match after seeing a yellow card.
GOOOOALLLL!!! AL NASSR DOUBLES ITS LEAD!! AL KHAIBARI WITH THE GOAL!! It is a beautiful attacking move by the home side. The ball is rolled on to Konan on the left, who spots Khaibari in the box. Konan finds Khaibari with an accurate low cross and the latter shoots first time on the volley to find the net. He did not even break his stride.
Matic picks up the loose ball near Al Nassr’s penalty area and looks to create something or make a run himself, but Al Ghanam does well to snatch the ball from the Abha player.
Ronaldo’s freekick hits the wall and the ball falls kindly for Marran. But, Marran could not get his feet right and took his shot under pressure, which is not on target. Marran wants a corner but the referee points for a goalkick
Ronaldo finds Sami with a well-measured lob. Sami does well to keep the ball and wins a foul for a Al Nassr freekick in a dangerous position. No extra-points for guessing who will take the freekick for Al Nassr.
Abha is not getting any time on the ball, even inside its own-half. Al Nassr players are pressing heavily and not allowing Abha to play out from the back.
Sami makes another dangerous run behind the defence as a long ball gets him through on goal. This time, he tries to pass the ball to Ronaldo, who was in support, but the Portuguese cannot get the ball under his control. Eventually, the assistant referee raises his flag for offisde.
Abha is defending very deep in the early minutes of the first-half. Despite a goalscoring opportunity, it is yet to find its footing in the match as of now. Al Nassr is dominating the proceedings as things stand.
Chance: Al Ghanam squares another accurate ball to Sami in the middle of the box. It would have been two if Sami had gotten his shot away earlier, but he takes too much time on the ball and is dispossessed.
Close: Abha with almost the equaliser on the other end but Al Nassr’s Alvaro makes a goalline clearance to maintain its early lead. What a start we have had.
GOOOOAALLLL!! AL NASSR HAS SCORED IN THE FIRST TEN SECOND!! SAMI FINDS THE NET!! Al Ghanam receives the ball on the right flank and threads a nice through ball to Sami who made the run. Once he was one-on-one with the keeper, Sami makes no mistake in slotting the ball inside the net.
The Al Nassr vs Abha King Cup of Champion quarterfinal match has kicked-off at the King Saud University Stadium.
Head-to-head record!
Confirmed starting lineups!
PREVIEW
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr will be in action in the King Cup of Champions and look to bounce back from the 0-1 defeat to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.
The Riyadh-based club lost to its title rival and conceded the top spot in the league with Ronaldo failing to score for the second straight game.
In the quarterfinal of the cup competition, Al Nassr could not have hoped for a better match-up as it faces Abha. The side is 12th in the Saudi Pro League and had lost 0-3 to Al Nassr in the earlier match this season.
It will be another chance for Ronaldo to get in the scoresheet. The Portuguese forward had a blazing start to his time in Saudi Arabia but has faced hiccups over the past two matches.
Al Nassr will bank on his exploits to book a place in the semifinals. Al Ittihad is the only team to have advanced to the last-four with penalty shootout win over Al Feiha.