Al-Taawoun 1-4 Al-Nassr: Player ratings as Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 54th goal of 2023 | Saudi Pro League 2023-24
Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Al-Nassr to a dominant 4-1 win against Al-Taawoun in their Saudi Pro League clash away from home on Saturday, December 30. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner netted his 54th goal of 2023 for club and country, cementing himself as the highest goalscorer this year, above Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Aschraf El Mahdioui scored the rebound after Nawaf Alaqidi saved his penalty in the 14th minute to give the hosts the lead. However, Marcelo Brozovic responded with a long-range stunner from outside the box 12 minutes later. Aymeric Laporte headed home in the 34th minute before Otavio cleverly finished into the bottom-right corner in the 49th minute to give Al-Nassr a 3-1 lead.
Cristiano Ronaldo headed in Seko Fofana's cross in the 91st minute to seal all three points for the Knights of Najd. The 38-year-old has been in stellar form this season, scoring 24 goals and registering 11 assists in 25 appearances across all competitions.
Al-Nassr now have 46 points from 19 games and are second in the Saudi Pro League standings, seven points behind leaders Al-Hilal.
Without further ado, let's take a look at Al-Nassr's player ratings:
Al-Nassr Player Ratings
Nawaf Alaqidi - 8.5/10
Alaqidi had an excellent game and was unfortunate not to keep a clean sheet after saving a penalty. He made seven saves and 11 recoveries.
Sultan Al-Ghannam - 7.5/10
Al-Ghannam looked assured both in defense and up the pitch. He won four duels, made three recoveries and had a pass accuracy of 86 percent.
Abdulelah Al-Amri - 6.5/10
Al-Amri had a decent game for Al-Nassr, making five recoveries, four clearances and winning three duels. However, he did concede a penalty which enabled Al-Taawoun to take an early lead in the game.
Aymeric Laporte - 8/10
Laporte played well, scoring a goal. He also completed 70 out of his 75 passes with an accuracy of 93 percent. The former Manchester City star made eight recoveries and won three duels.
Alex Telles - 7/10
Telles had a decent outing, making five interceptions and six recoveries. He also created three big chances down the left flank.
Marcelo Brozovic - 9/10
Brozovic was the Player of the Match and had an outstanding game. The 31-year-old scored a stellar goal, provided an assist and created four big chances. He also completed 16 out of his attempted 18 accurate long balls with an accuracy of 89 percent.
Abdullah Al-Khaibari - 6.5/10
Al-Khaibari looked assured on the ball, completing 69 out of his 71 passes with an accuracy of 97 percent.
Anderson Talisca - 7/10
Talisca played well, providing one assist. The Brazilian won nine duels and created one big chance but registered zero shots on target.
Otavio - 8.5/10
Otavio had an exceptional game, completing 47 out of his 49 passes with an accuracy of 96 percent. He also scored a good goal, created three big chances and won six duels.
Sadio Mane - 6.5/10
Mane had an uncharacteristically quiet game, creating just one big chance.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 8/10
Ronaldo had a stellar performance against Al-Taawoun. He scored a late header and was unfortunate not to have completed a brace after an earlier effort crashed against the post. He also had a pass accuracy of 86 percent and created one big chance but was also guilty of missing another big chance.
Substitutes
Abdulrahman Ghareeb - 6/10
Ghareeb replaced Mane in the 86th minute and played well.
Seko Fofana - 7/10
Fofana replaced Talisca in the 89th minute and put in a decent performance, setting up Ronaldo's goal.
Sami Al-Najei - N/A
Al-Najei came on in the 90th minute for Otavio and didn't play long enough to warrant a rating.
Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem - N/A
Al-Sulaiheem was subbed on in the 90th minute for Brozovic and also didn't play long enough to warrant a rating.