Ronaldo brought Al Nassr to the final of the Arab Champions Cup
Score: Ronaldo penalty 75
In the 73rd minute, Sadio Mane broke through in the penalty area and fell after the impact of defender Faisal Jasim. The ball fell near Ronaldo but he did not enter the game but ran to the referee to pressure for a penalty. Moments later, when Al Shorta had the ball, the referee stopped the game and went out to the touchline to review the situation because VAR intervened. Then the referee blew a penalty for Al Nassr, and Ronaldo did not miss this opportunity to shoot to the right corner to open the score.
Ronaldo ran to the corner of the field to dance to celebrate, then nudge Mane's chest. The stands also rang with "siuuu" sounds when Ronaldo jumped up, then the audience turned on their phones and turned on the lights to shine on the field to create a bokeh effect.
Mane played more prominently than Ronaldo in this match, with his dribbles creating mutations against the multi-layered defense of the Iraqi club. In the 86th minute, Mane fell again in the penalty area, causing VAR to intervene again, but this time the referee did not blow the penalty. Two minutes later, Mane hung the ball up as if for Ronaldo to head without anyone from 5m, but goalkeeper Ahmed Basil Fadhil poured a beautiful save. Al Shorta counter-attacked soon after, bringing midfielder Ahmed Farhan down to face but his ball did not go past goalkeeper Nawaf Alaqidi.
Al Shorta is the defending champion Iraq, with an Opta Power rating of 74.6, compared to Al Nassr 77.7. Al Shorta's composition has many Iraqi players - the team will meet Vietnam in the group stage of the 2024 Asian Cup and the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. This club plays well until it concedes a goal, when it stops stars like Ronaldo, Mane or Marcelo Brozovic dominated.
Ronaldo was congratulated in the 31st minute, also from a sudden turn of Mane. However, the VAR at that time determined that the 38-year-old superstar was offside, although only a few centimeters apart. Then, Ronaldo nearly set up Alex Telles, but the defender's shot bounced off the crossbar.
After the final whistle, the Al Nassr players ran to hug each other to celebrate, and they especially congratulated goalkeeper Alaqidi with an important save at the end of the game. In the stands, a fan lit flares to celebrate Al Nassr reaching the final. Their opponents are Al Hilal or Al Shabab, August 12.
Ronaldo has scored in four consecutive games, climbing to the top of the top scorer race, overtaking Karim Benzema. He also has the opportunity to break more than two years of empty titles, when Al Nassr only needs one more victory.
The Arab Club Champions Cup is an annual tournament for Arab clubs in the Middle East and North Africa. Al Nassr attended this year's tournament at the invitation of the Arab Football Association, without having to play in the qualifiers. The tournament took place from July 27 to August 12 in Saudi Arabia, with 16 teams divided into four groups of four teams each, choosing the top two teams to advance to the quarterfinals.
