The latest match of round 31 of the Saudi Pro League saw Al Nassr have an explosive performance when they crushed the second-to-last team Al Okhdood with an unbelievable score of 9-0, even though Cristiano Ronaldo did not participate.
Against a much weaker opponent, fans expected Ronaldo to have more opportunities to increase his personal scoring record, getting closer to the milestone of 1,000 goals in his career. However, the Portuguese superstar was surprisingly not on the list of registered players.
According to Saudi Arabian media, coach Stefano Pioli decided to let Ronaldo rest due to signs of physical overload after a series of consecutive stressful matches.
Without Ronaldo, Al Nassr’s attack line still worked effectively. In the first half alone, they scored 4 goals thanks to goals from Yahya, Duran, Brozovic and Mane.
In the second half, Al Nassr benefited greatly when Al Okhdood’s goalkeeper was sent off for a blatant foul. Taking advantage of the advantage, coach Pioli’s team continued to press and scored 5 more goals.
Mane was the brightest star of the match when he scored a poker with 4 goals, while Duran completed his double, Marran scored the final goal to make it 9-0. This is Al Nassr’s biggest win since the beginning of the season and also the biggest win in this round.
However, this is a victory with great spiritual significance, although Al Nassr has almost no chance of competing for the championship. After 31 rounds, they ranked 3rd with 63 points, 11 points behind the leader Al Ittihad while there are only 3 rounds left in the season.
In round 32, Al Nassr will host Al Taawoun at home on May 17. Ronaldo’s future for the rest of the season is still being closely watched by fans.
