Ronaldo’s powerful header and missed open goal, Mane’s goal and assist, Al Nassr leads Jeddah United 2-0

At 2 a.m. Beijing time on September 27, the 4th round of the Saudi Pro League saw a major showdown as defending champions Jeddah United faced Al Nassr at home.

In the first half, Mane contributed a goal and an assist, Ronaldo’s forceful header brought his career tally to 946 goals, with Al Nassr leading 1-0 at halftime; in the second half, Ronaldo missed a clear chance to double his tally and Benzema, starting and playing the full match, failed to make an impact.

In the end, Al Nassr secured a 2-0 away victory over Jeddah United, achieving their fourth consecutive win and taking sole lead of the Saudi Pro League standings.

For Jeddah United vs Al Nassr, Branco deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Diaby, Benzema, and Berwin forming the front three; Kante, Oyar, and Fabinho composed the midfield trio; Ahmed, Musa, Pereira, and Muat made up the back four; Raikovic guarded the goal, with a starting lineup valued at €93.95 million. Jesus set up a 4-4-2 for Al Nassr, pairing Ronaldo and Felix up front; Mane, Habali, Brozovic, and Coman formed the midfield four; Yehya, Inigo, Simakan, and Nawaf made the defensive line; Bento was goalkeeper, with a starting squad worth €122 million.

In this match, Ronaldo-led Al Nassr aimed for the title, playing as visitors but dominating Jeddah United. Although they didn’t control possession, they created more shooting chances. Notably, Al Nassr’s left-back Yehya showed strong attacking traits, combining effectively with left winger Mane. Mane scored and assisted, opening the scoring in the 9th minute with a volley from Coman’s cross, then in the 35th minute after feints, he crossed for Ronaldo’s header goal, putting Al Nassr 2-0 up—the final score. Al Nassr’s 2-0 away win over Jeddah United in this top-table clash knocked out the defending champions and put them alone atop the league. This was Ronaldo and Al Nassr’s championship statement, though Ronaldo’s missed open goal prevented a brace—this was the only regret in the match.

Throughout the game, Al Nassr held 45% possession and took 21 shots but only 3 were on target, showing low efficiency. Ronaldo had 9 shots, one more than the entire Jeddah United team, but only 2 were on target, including one headed goal, plus a missed open chance. This explains Ronaldo’s modest post-match rating of 7. Honestly, if Al Nassr had a strong striker like Milotovic, this game could have been a massive victory for them.