Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: August 07, 2023, 12:12 IST
Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Al Nassr (Twitter)
Cristiano Ronaldo scored to help Al Nassr beat Raja Casablanca 3-1 and celebrated with his iconic ‘siu’ celebration.
Cristiano Ronaldo has done it once again as he helped Al Nassr beat Raja Casablanca 3-1 in the quarter-finals of the Arab Club Champions Cup. The Portuguese superstar opened the scoring for his side in the 19th minute of the game. His teammate Talisca got past two defenders on the right flank and then burst into the box before serving the ball on a platter for Ronaldo. A relaxed and calm Ronaldo paused momentarily before slotting the ball home with a wonderful finish off his weaker foot. The former Real Madrid talisman celebrated with his iconic ‘siu’ celebration.
Into the semi-finals💪🏼Great feeling to keep scoring and helping the team to move forward in the competition!⚽️💛💙 pic.twitter.com/pjVyl5BL0t— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) August 6, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener gave Al Nassr the breakthrough they needed. They doubled their lead in the 29th minute off a goal from Sultan Al-Ghannam. Seko Fofana added a third in the 38th minute to earn a 3-0 lead before half-time. The Saudi Arabian side faltered a little on the defensive side as Abdullah Madu scored an own goal in the 41st minute but luckily it did not cost them the fixture. The second half did not see a goal from either teams, leading to Al Nassr’s victory.
Al Nassr’s game against Raja Casablanca was played at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Raja CA recently lost the Moroccan Throne Cup Final against RSB Berkane on July 16. Since then, they were on a three-match winning streak in the Arabian Cup group stage. Al Nassr, on the other hand, managed only a single victory in their three games in the group stage of the Arabian Club Champions Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo was instrumental in the last two games as he scored a goal in each of those fixtures. He currently has three goals in four games in the tournament. They will face Iraq’s Al Shorta next in the semi-finals of the competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nass had an unimpressive start to their preseason, which saw them concede a 5-0 defeat against Spanish side Celta Vigo and a 4-1 loss to Benfica. They played out two draws against Inter Milan and Ligue One champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Ronaldo could not score in any of those fixtures. The Portuguese superstar, however, now looks to be in brilliant form as Al Nassr eye Arabian Cup glory. This would be the team’s first trophy since arrival of Ronaldo from Manchester United back in December last year. He currently has 17 goals in 23 appearances for the Saudi Arabian side.
