Al Nassr defeated Al Taawoun with a commanding 5-0 win in the Saudi Pro League clash on Friday (August 29). New signings Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, orchestrated a relentless offensive display and put the team in a strong position as the top contenders of the league.
Al-Nassr start on a high note
Al-Nassr asserted dominance since the beginning of the game. Joao Felix, making his league debut, opened the scoring with a composed finish. He scored the goal in the seventh minute, leaving Al-Taawoun’s goalkeeper Abdulquddus Atiah helpless. The early goal set a strong momentum.
Al-Taawoun struggled to find their footing against Al-Nassr’s high-pressing game. Kingsley Coman nearly doubled the lead midway through the first half, showcasing his skills with a sharp turn in the box before firing into the side netting. Sadio Mane also tested Atiah with a low, driven shot just before halftime, but the goalkeeper’s smart save kept the score at 1-0.
The fierce second-half
Any hopes of an Al-Taawoun comeback were extinguished after the break. A costly handball by Waleed Al-Ahmed gifted Al-Nassr a penalty, which Cristiano Ronaldo converted, sending the ball into the bottom left corner in the 54th minute, doubling the lead.
Moments later, Al-Nassr capitalized on another defensive lapse. A long ball from goalkeeper Nawaf Alqaidi caught Al-Taawoun off guard, bouncing untouched and allowing Coman to loop a header over Atiah and just under the crossbar.
Felix’s hattrick steals the show
Joao Felix stole the spotlight with a sensational hat-trick. His second goal came in the 66th minute. He unleashed a strike into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Felix completed his hat-trick late in the game, capitalizing on a fortunate sequence. Ronaldo’s cross-cum-shot deflected, struck the crossbar, and fell to Felix, who flicked the ball toward goal and took Al-Nassr’s tally to 5. Despite a desperate attempt to clear it off the line, the referee’s watch confirmed the ball had crossed, sealing Felix’s treble.
Al-Taawoun, despite their reputation, were outclassed, managing little possession and fewer chances.