The Saudi Pro League clash between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr turned to the advantage of the visitors. Ronaldo has eclipsed Benzema.
It was the shock at the top of the Saudi championship and it lived up to expectations. The opposition between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr led to a great spectacle. The goals were there, as was the suspense. However, there was only one winner. It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s team which won 5-2.
Ronaldo top scorer of the calendar year
The Portuguese was the hero of the game. He signed his 52e and 53e goal in 2023, thus securing the title of best director of the calendar year. Two goals scored on penalties. He started by responding to Abderrazak Hamdallah’s opener, before putting his team on the right track by scoring the 3-2 goal. The five-time Ballon d’Or could even have scored a hat-trick if the crossbar had not repelled one of his attempts just after the equalizer at 1-1.
Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo each captaining their teams for Al-Ittihad vs. Al-Nassr 🤩
Real Madrid royalty 👑 pic.twitter.com/9s6OQuIamM
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 26, 2023
The turning point of this meeting was the expulsion of Fabinho. In the space of a few minutes, the former Liverpool midfielder collected two yellow cards. The second was for a foul in the area (67e). Which allowed CR7 to give his team the advantage.
Benzema not up to the task
Ronaldo was therefore inspired, but this is not the case for his former teammate at Real, Karim Benzema. The Frenchman certainly gave himself a decisive pass at the start of the match, but he was quite disappointing during this meeting. Shortly before game time, he twice failed to give his team the lead. He placed a head (53e), right at the goalkeeper, then signed a half-volley which did not catch the target (59e).
The game was relatively balanced until Al-Ittihad found itself down to ten men. With an extra man, Al Nassr rolled towards the end. Sadio Mané, discreet until then, exploited the boulevards in the opposing defense by scoring a double.
