The match between Al Wehda and Al Nassr ended with a resounding 3-1 victory for the away team. In which superstar Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting lineup and immediately made his mark again.
Goal
Al Wehda:Anselmo (81')
Al Nassr:Telles (11'), Amri (39'), Ronaldo (49')
After being rested by coach Luis Castro in the AFC Champions League group stage win over Al Duhail in midweek to regain fitness, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting line-up as Al Nassr travelled to Al Wehda in the 13th round of the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo's return helped the away team have their strongest squad and it was not too surprising that they were the ones who quickly created an overwhelming situation against Al Wehda.
In the 11th minute of the match, Al Nassr was awarded a free kick to the right. While many people still thought Ronaldo would be the one to take the shot, former MU star Alex Telles was the one to beat goalkeeper Munir with a classy free kick that sent the ball into the far corner to open the score.
The early goal made it very easy for Al Nassr to play, as they completely controlled the game on the field, but their finishing coordination lacked precision.
In the 39th minute, from a corner kick, Marcelo Brozovic made an accurate pass for center-back Abdulelah Al Amri to jump high and head the ball to double the gap for Al Nassr.
In the first half, Ronaldo had two finishing situations but could not beat goalkeeper Munir and he showed great desire to get his name on the scoreboard. And not long after the second half started, CR7 got what he wanted. In the 49th minute, from the Al Wehda defender's header to goalkeeper Munir, Ronaldo predicted and quickly finished to increase the score to 3-0.
This is Ronaldo's 864th career goal, in 1,194 matches. He continues to lead the list of goalscorers in world professional football in 2023 with 45 goals in 49 matches. In the Saudi Pro League, the 38-year-old striker still leads the race for the Golden Boot with 13 goals, along with 7 assists, in 12 matches.
In the remaining minutes of the match, Al Nassr once again put the ball into Al Wehda's net thanks to Anderson Talisca, but the referee blew the whistle for offside against Ronaldo - who seemed to be very passive in this situation.
For Al Wehda, the home team's efforts could only help them score a consolation goal in the 81st minute thanks to midfielder Anselmo. With this result, Al Nassr continued to consolidate their second place with 31 points, 4 points behind the leading team Al Hilal and 5 points ahead of the second team Al Ahli.
Line-up
Al Wehda:Mohamedi, Al Mowalad, El Yamiq, Duarte, Hawsawi, Noor, Anselmo, Bakshween, Fajr, Goodwin, Ighalo
Al Nassr:Nawaf, Al Ghanam, Al Amri, Al Fatil, Telles, Alnaji, Brozovic, Talisca, Otavio, Mane, Ronaldo