Following his one-match suspension against Al-Fayha, Cristiano Ronaldo made his way back into the starting lineup for Al-Nassr. Nevertheless, Sadio Mane was given four yellow cards, so he was unable to participate in the match. Both teams had equal opportunities to break the tie in the first half of an evenly matched match.
The linesman called five offside calls, including two moves by Ronaldo, one of which ended with him finding the back of the net. The Al-Nassr players requested a penalty at the end of the half after Abdulelah Al-Amri was brought down inside the box, but VAR denied their request.
Al-Nassr dominated play in the second half as they attempted to break the impasse. Ronaldo missed arguably the easiest opportunity of the game at the hour mark when his header went off target and he was unable to score from close range.
In the 68th minute, Laporte scored the first goal of the match with a neat header after Marcelo Brozovic’s free kick. The former Manchester City defender was found inside the box by a precise pass, and he skillfully kept his header on target. The 39-year-old produced a terrific solo run with the ball in the 82nd minute as Al-Nassr broke on a counterattack, but the forward’s attempt struck the side netting and he was unable to score again.
Eventually, the Saudi heavyweights triumphed, winning the league for the sixth time in a row and cutting the deficit to nine points with Al-Hilal at the top.
Laporte was the star of the show for his team in the second half, securing a vital victory and scoring the game-winning goal. When his team needed him most, the Spain international looked strong in the backline and added to the attack.
Ronaldo had several chances to score, but the Portuguese player was unable to capitalize on any of them, making it a night to forget. After a brilliant solo run in the 60th minute, he missed an easy chance and three of his attempts were flagged offside. He later struck the side met.
