Al Nassr 5-3 Al Kholood Player Ratings: Cristiano Ronaldo Hat-Trick Inches Him Closer to 1000 Goals as Joao Felix Orchestrates Well-Earned Victory

The reigning Saudi Pro League champions Al Nassr welcomed Al Kholood on matchday 12 in the new season, and what we witnessed in the first half was pure madness. Al Kholood, even though they were the underdogs in this game, drew first blood through Julien Domingues in the 16th minute.

The French forward received a long ball over the Al Nassr defence from Abdulrahman Al Dosari, controlled it really well to take it past Mohamed Simakan and finished strongly past an onrushing Bento.

Al Nassr didn't hold back either; they were ready with a reply. João Félix played a clever back heel to Ângelo, who skipped past multiple challenges to finish at the far bottom corner to level things up for the home side in the 24th minute.

The hosts got their second goal in the 38th minute, when Félix made a mess of Nawaf Bu Washl's cutback, but it fell nicely for Sadio Mané to curl in at the far post. Defensive lapses hurt Al Nassr again, as Loic Essomba finished into an open net from a Julien Domingues assist just minutes before the halftime whistle.

Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had put his team in the lead once again with a deft finish, but the offside flag was up already due to a prior illegal movement from him in the buildup, leaving one of the greatest footballers in the world frustrated, a repeat of what happened to him in the 10th minute when VAR ruled out his opener.

However, the Portuguese icon did have his moment later in the game, when he tapped into an open net after a set-up from João Félix, who bagged his third assist of the night in the 66th minute.

Another moment of magic from Félix saw Ronaldo head in from close range from a cross to give Al Nassr much-needed breathing space in the game. Ronaldo finally got his hat-trick in the 81st minute, as Mané rounded off the keeper and played it back for the Portuguese to calmly finish into the back of the net despite two defenders guarding with all their lives.

Julien Domingues scored a spot kick in the dying minutes of the game, but it wasn't enough to start a comeback as the game was already done and dusted by then.

Check out the Al Nassr vs Al Kholood Player Ratings below.

Key Takeaways

• João Félix created the most chances (5).
• Aiman Yahya, Iñigo Martínez, and John Buckley had the joint-most defensive contributions (8).
• Sadio Mané and Ângelo both completed the most dribbles (3).

Al Nassr Player Ratings vs Al Kholood

Here are the Al Nassr Player Ratings from the Al Nassr vs Al Kholood Player Ratings.

Al Kholood Player Ratings vs Al Nassr

Have a look at the Al Kholood Player Ratings from the Al Nassr vs Al Kholood Player Ratings.

Man of the Match

João Félix was adjudged Sportsdunia's man of the match from Al Nassr vs Al Kholood.

Worst Performer

Ramzi Solan was the worst of the lot in this Saudi Pro League encounter.