Under the skills of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, Al Nassr proved their superiority on the pitch, tasting a rich 3-0 victory against Al-Orobah
Al Nassr have opened a big gap ahead of their counterparts as they won the Saudi Pro League in a 3-0 thumping against Al-Orobah FC. All three came from the boots of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, with the two further scoring in both the 29th and 71st minute, respectively. The win helped the club further cement dominance in the league, and there was little question that the rest was something left to fate for the visitors as Al Nassr dominated play and made many scoring opportunities throughout.
First Half: Ronaldo Converts Early Penalty
Al Nassr started the game on the front foot, dominating possession while applying pressure to Al-Orobah’s defense. Their dominance did not take long to pay off. In the 17th minute, Al Nassr were awarded a penalty after Al-Orobah’s defender had handled the ball inside the box. Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot, tapping the ball into the bottom left corner to give Al Nassr the early lead at 1-0.
Ronaldo’s composure against the pressure was a testament to his world-class ability, and this goal seemed to infuse more energy into the Al Nassr attack. They continued to press ahead and were not long in adding to their lead. Sadio Mane scored with a clinical finish after a well-placed pass from Ronaldo, with 29 minutes gone into the game. Senegalese winger scores the perfect run and slots the ball by the Al-Orobah goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Al-Orobah hardly had any resistance against the tempo and intensity of Al Nassr’s attack. The visitors had little chance of keeping them in check as Al Nassr’s defense, marshaled by Aymeric Laporte was very tight. It was Al Nassr who held 65% possession in the first half of the game and gave Al-Orobah just that one shot on target in the 45 minutes.
Second Half: Mane Breaks All Ties
The second half started much on a par with the first, but Al Nassr’s monopoly on possession and dictating the pace continued slowly. Al-Orobah wanted to try altering the rhythm of the game through some changes on the bench, but could not disturb that rhythm of Al Nassr.
Sadio Mane ensured the game went beyond Al-Orobah’s reach when, in the final minute of play, he hit his second of the match after a good team move involving Nawaf Al-Boushail to deliver a pinpoint cross into the box that Mane headed home for 3-0. Goal really came as testimony of how Mane excels in the field with his great aerial ability and knack for finding empty spaces in the box.
As Al Nassr scores their third goal, they make a couple of changes by resting some of their key players. Ronaldo and Mane were substituted out in the 81st minute. Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Ali Ahmed replaced them. Even with the rest of the changes, Al Nassr did not hand over the game and played better for the rest of the match.
Top Stats and Match Brief
Possession: Al Nassr had a possession of 65%, while Al-Orobah had only 35%.
Shots: Al Nassr had 14 shots, which included 4 that were on target, as compared to Al-Orobah who had only 8 and only 1 on target.
Passing: Al Nassr took a total of 677 passes, which reflects the supremacy they enjoy in the middle, with the responsibility of dictating the tempo of the game. They managed to complete 331 passes.
Key Players: It was the day of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane as they were in top form – Ronaldo opened the scores while adding an assist, as Mane scored two crucial goals that sealed the game.
Match Analysis: Tactical Control and Clinical Finishing of Al Nassr
Al Nassr’s plan was evident from the outset: they wanted to control the game by retaining possession and then using swift, penetrative passes to break down Al-Orobah’s defense. Marcello Brozovic and Otávio excelled in midfield and used their own drumbeat, somewhat successfully getting the ball out to the side players.
In a more central role, Cristiano Ronaldo was the excellent attacking force for Al Nassr. He gave others good movement off the ball but can also hold up the play so Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca can make runs behind the defense. The link play of Ronaldo with Mane was the way to beat the backline of Al-Orobah.
Defensively, Al Nassr were really solid during the match. Aymeric Laporte and Sultan Al-Ghanam provided stability at the back, and Nawaf Al-Boushail’s attacking runs from full-back added another dimension to Al Nassr’s offense. Al-Orobah on the other hand found it difficult creating meaningful chances with their few counter-attacks easily dealt with by Al Nassr’s defense.
Challenges facing Al-Orobah and Defence issue
Al-Orobah started with a pretty well-set up defensive approach but could not cope with the relentless pressure from Al Nassr. The backline of Al-Orobah often found themselves out of position, especially against the pace and movement of Sadio Mane. Even while they looked for a counter-attack, their midfield was overrun, and they had not been able to hold on to it for long periods.
Whatever, the defensive solidity from the goalmouth of Haitham Al-Maqati was the sole silver lining that made the score line even more unacceptable for Al-Orobah. Of course, there are much to correct from this pathetic defense by Al-Orobah if they want to challenge the best in Saudi Pro League.
Conclusion: Al Nassr’s Winning Streak Continues
The outcome proved that Al Nassr is superior in Saudi Pro League as the outcome very clearly testifies for its elimination of challenges raised by their opponents and, in turn, prove to be a superior one at the end. They proved too strong for the opponents Al-Orobah with Ronaldo and Sadio Mane spearheading the attack. The kind of victory puts Al Nassr in contention for the league title, as the team’s performances are consistently on the move.
It was a big learning curve for Al-Orobah in this match but they surely come out stronger for their next match. Al Nassr, however, would draw massive confidence from this dominant win going forward into the games ahead as Ronaldo and Mane continue to be the spearhead up front with their deadly combination.
Read more about related article, just click here