"Saved Al-Nassr and Ronaldo", "Give him the Ballon d'Or" - Fans hail Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate as he stars in 3-2 win over Al-Akhdoud
Al-Nassr fans on X have waxed lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate Marcelo Brozovic after he scored an outstanding brace to secure a vital 3-2 win against Al-Akhdoud. The two sides faced each other in a pulsating Saudi Pro League clash on Thursday, May 9.
Brozovic broke the deadlock in the seventh minute with a brilliant finish from outside the box. Cristiano Ronaldo doubled Al-Nassr's advantage eight minutes later from close range, scoring his 33rd league goal of the season.
Al-Akhdoud scored against the run of play in the 60th minute through Hassan Al-Habib's clever finish. The hosts used their newfound momentum to push forward, with Saviour Godwin taking advantage of Aymeric Laporte's error to level the scores in the 70th minute.
Just when it seemed as if Al-Nassr would drop points, Ronaldo's header struck the crossbar in the 91st minute. The rebound fell into the path of Brozovic, who acrobatically volleyed the ball into the roof of the net, sealing the win for the away side.
The former Inter Milan midfielder had a good game, completing 73 out of 81 passes with an accuracy of 90 percent. He also created one big chance, won six duels, and made six recoveries.
One fan credited him for saving Cristiano Ronaldo and Co:
"Saved alnassr and ronaldo"
Another fan wrote:
"Give him the Ballon Dor"
Other fan reactions can be viewed below:
"CLUTCHHHHH", one fan exclaimed
"Brozovic you’re a real one", one fan stated
"Watch how brozovic carried this Al Nassr team today,Day 1 of watching Al Nassr match. I have to be convinced this team is carrying Ronaldo", another fan wrote
"Marcelo Brozovic Man the match", another fan chimed in
"Appreciation tweet for Marcelo Brozovic. He was absolutely fantastic tonight, he fought for the badge & showed that he is someone you can rely on", one fan said
How did Cristiano Ronaldo fare in Al-Nassr's 3-2 win against Al-Akhdoud?
Cristiano Ronaldo continued his rich vein of form as he scored in Al-Nassr's 3-2 win against Al-Akhdoud on Thursday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how the five-time Ballon d'Or fared:
The 39-year-old completed 27 out of 31 passes with an accuracy of 87 percent. Moreover, he scored one goal, hit the crossbar once, and had seven touches in the hosts' box. But apart from his goal, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't at his best either. He landed just one shot on target from four attempts, losing five duels, and completing zero successful dribbles.
Nevertheless, the Portugal icon has had a phenomenal season, scoring 42 goals and providing 12 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. He will next be in action against Al-Hilal on Friday, May 17.