By Our Man in Riyadh
CRISTIANO RONALDO endured a night of VAR agony and woodwork woes as Al-Nassr relied on a stroke of luck to keep their title charge alive.
The Portuguese icon, 40, was left scratching his head as the Saudi giants labored to a 1-0 win over Al-Taawoun at Al-Awwal Park.
Despite the presence of Europe’s former elite, it was a clumsy defensive error that eventually separated the sides.
Frustration for the GOAT
Ronaldo thought he had set the tone early on when he smashed a stunning volley against the crossbar following a pin-point delivery from Mohamed Simakan.
Just minutes later, the Riyadh crowd was on its feet again as Ronaldo turned provider, whipping in a trademark free-kick for Simakan to head home—only for the VAR spoilsports to rule it out for offside.
The frustration didn’t end there for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. In the second half, Ronny went down in the box and pointed to the spot, but a quick check of the monitors showed he’d strayed just past the last man in the build-up.
While Ronaldo huffed and puffed, it was Sadio Mane—fresh from leading Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations—who proved the catalyst. On the stroke of half-time, the former Liverpool ace fizzed a dangerous cross into the “corridor of uncertainty.”
Under intense pressure, Al-Taawoun defender Mohammed Al-Dossary could only look on in horror as he inadvertently headed the ball into his own net.
Mane almost turned scorer himself after the break, rattling the post with a low drive, while former Bayern Munich man Kingsley Coman saw two goal-bound efforts expertly tipped away by the visitors’ inspired keeper, Mailson.
“We dominated from the first minute, but sometimes the ball just doesn’t want to go in for you,” said an Al-Nassr spokesperson.
“The important thing is the three points and keeping the pressure on Al-Hilal.”
The narrow victory moves Jorge Jesus’ side to within five points of the league leaders, but Ronaldo will be heading home wondering how he didn’t leave with the match ball.
