Al Taawoun vs Al Nassr Highlishts, Saudi Pro League: TWN 1-4 NAS; Ronaldo, Brozovic, Otavio, Laporte hand Nassr convincing win

It is all over. A convincing 4-1 victory for Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. 

Al Taawoun 1-4 Al Nassr

Al Nassr gets a corner, it might be the last attacking play of the match. It is another corner. 

Ronaldo finishes off 2023 in style. It is his 54th goal of the calendar year. Fofana with the assist from right flank and Ronaldo with a bullet header. 

Seven minutes added by the officials after the end of regulation time. 

Barrow’s long range effort goes wide of the post. 

Barrow tries to find Joao Pedro with a cross from left flank but it is marginally overcooked. 

Mateus with another brilliant ball from the left flank but no Al Taawoun player attacks the far post. It is a goal kick for AL Nassr. 

Al Nassr goalkeeper Nawaf Alaqidi with a brilliant save from Mateus Castro close range shot. 

Abdulfattah is off side after he comes close to scoring for the home side. He’s a straight through on goal, however, Nawaf saves his grounder. 

Al-Khaibari gets a yellow for challenge that robs Al Taawoun a counter attack opportunity. 

Alvaro Medran’s long range strike goes whitelisting past the far post. He’s looking like the danger-man of Al Taawoun. 

Al Taawoun is also coming back to life in attack in the last couple of minutes.

Ronaldo rattles the woodwork with a thunderous strike. AL Nassr threatening to take the game beyond the reach of the home team with lightning counter attacks. 

Al Taawoun with the first promising attacking play of the second half tests Nawaf. 

The home team is yet to take a shot on goal in the second half. Al Nassr defence is looking solid and denying AL Taawoun spaces in the wider areas. 

Mane gets a free kick near the halfway mark. Al Nassr is controlling the pace of the game and is frustrating the home fans. 

Talisca is down after a collision with Musa Barrow. He’s receiving treatment. The Brazilian is up and running again. 

Al Nassr is keeping the pressure on the home side, which is finding it hard to keep the ball and string a couple of passes together. 

Ronaldo misses a sitter but the off side flag saves his blushes. He was straight through. 

Al Nassr is happy to concede possession of the ball and trying hit on the counter. 

On 49th minute, Otavio scores after the home side inside the box gave the ball away. The Portuguese midfielder casually passes the ball into the bottom right corner after Al Taawoun’s defence clears Telles’ cut back which falls kindly into his feet. Al Nassr leads by three goals to one. 

The home side has started the second half the same way it started the first. Keeping the ball, Al Taawoun is trying to draw Al Nassr into a press to free its wide attackers. 

The home side gets the second half under way. 

The first half comes to an end and what a half it was. Frantic from the start, AL Taawoun took the lead from the spot in the 15th minute but Cristiano Ronaldo’s side came from behind via Marcelo Brozovic’s stunning long range strike after a brilliant team move. Then, Aymeric Laporte gives AL Nassr the lead from Brozovic’s corner. 

Ronaldo is deemed off side as he was going through from the right flank. 

Joao Pedro with a shot from the edge of the box. Nawaf pushes it out. AL Taawoun looking to threaten Al Nassr goal in the dying minutes of the first half. 

Six additional minutes added after the end of regulation time. 

Ronaldo’s header goes wide as he gets a cross from Otavio. The Portuguese duo is combining well for the visiting side. 

Al Oyayari gets into the referee’s book for his unlawful challenge on Mane as Al Nassr was going for a counter attack. 

Otavio’s header just goes over the bar. Ronaldo’s outrageous skills helps Mane to get the ball in the left flank and he floats it. Otavio heads it with power but lacks the accuracy. 

Al Taawoun gets a free kick in a dangerous position. The game is wide open and it seems like more goals are coming as both sides are attacking with intent. It has been a frantic first half so far. 

Laporte scores from Brozovic’s corner. Bullet header from the former Manchester City defender give Al Nassr the lead. Ronaldo’s side takes the lead after going behind early in the game. 

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Al Nassr gets the first corner of the game. Al-Alamri hits the woodwork from Telles’ set piece. Its another corner. 

Ronaldo’s shot from a difficult angle goes wide of the goal. Al Nassr is using Mane’s pace to stretch Al Taawoun defence. Brozovic and Otavio are dictating the tempo of the game and spreading the ball with surgical precision. 

After the goal, Al Nassr is mounting relentless attacks in search for the lead. 

Brozovic with a long range stunner equalises for Al Nassr. Ronaldo and Telisa combine to give Brozovic the ball, who hammers from 30 yards to the bottom right corner of the Al Taawoun goal. 

Ronaldo comes close to equalise for the visitors but he’s well marshalled by Andrei Girotto to deny the Portugal captain a header from the six yard box. 

Al Nassr is is using both its wingers to mount attacks. A cross from Al-Ghannam is floated in which is attacked by Otavio and he stays down. Mane is unable to control the ball and the attack fizzles out. 

Sadio Mane is deemed off side by the linesman as he tries to run in behind the Al Taawoun defence from the left flank. 

Al Nassr is trying to respond quickly but the home side has its tail up and looking to put more pressure on the visitors. Challenges are flying in, there is a feisty edge to the encounter already. 

Aschraf El Mahdioui scores from the spot after Nawaf saves his initial kick, but the AL Taawoun man scores from the rebound to give the home side and early lead. 

Ronaldo gets a yellow card for dissent. Al-Alamri also gets a yellow for the challenge. 

Al Taawoun is on the front foot and attacking the AL Nassr goal with intent. It is claiming a penalty but the referee waves off the appeal. AL Nassr’s keeper Nawaf was holding his breath for a minute. After the ball goes out of play, the referee suggests him to go to the screen. It is a penalty. Al-Alamri’s trailing hand catches the Al Taawoun attacker.

Al Nassr is keep the possession of the ball amid Al Taadwoun pressure. Ronaldo takes it first shot of the match from outside of the box, it is straight at the goalkeeper. 

Al Nassr is trying to put early pressure on Al Taadwoun. Nassr’s attacker Talisca is down holding his ankle. He received treatment and is okay to continue. 

The match is under way. Al Nassr in its changed blue kit and the home side in its yellow kit have started the match with intensity. 

Players of both sides warming up on the pitch. We’re moments away from the kick off at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah. 

Stay tuned for live updates. 

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Maylson; Al Oyayari, Girotto, Al-Saluli, Al Abdulrazzaq; Flavio, El Mahdioui, Medran; Barrow, Dos Santos, Castro

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Al Taawoun - Maylson; Al Oyayari, Girotto, Al-Saluli, Al Abdulrazzaq; Flavio, El Mahdioui, Medran; Barrow, Dos Santos, Castro

Al Nassr - Al-Aqidi; Al-Ghannam, Lajami, Laporte, Telles; Brozovic, Fofana; Talisca, Al-Najei, Mane; Ronaldo

The two teams have squared off 32 times across all competitions thus far. Ronaldo’s side has the upper hand in the head-to-head record with a 22-6 lead in wins and just four games have ended in draws.

Played - 32

Al Taawoun- 6 | Al Nassr- 22 | Draw - 4

The Saudi Pro League match between Al Taawoun and Al Nassr will be live telecast on the Sony Sports Network TV channels in India. The Saudi Pro League matches can be live-streamed on the Sony LIV app and website.

Al Taawoun hosts Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League as Cristiano Ronaldo leads his team for the last time in 2023 on December 30 at 11:30 PM IST. 

Taawoun is currently fourth in the league table having lost its two matches out of its last five league games. The home side will be hoping for better fortunes but it will be difficult facing the mighty Al Nassr side, which is currently in second spot.

The away team is basking in form having won it’s last four games however, it wiil be hoping to keep the pressure on league leader Al-Hilal, especially after suffering a 0-3 away loss recently. 

Ronaldo’s side is currently second in the league table chasing a ten-point gap against the league leaders hence would be hoping for a win to end the year on a high. 

Ronaldo will look to add to his 53 goals in 2023 as he leads his side for the last time this year.