RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Cristiano Ronaldo continued his blistering scoring form for Al-Nassr on, netting his fourth hat-trick for the Saudi Arabian club in a dominant win over Al-Tai. The victory, however, wasn’t enough to close the gap on league leaders Al-Ahly.
The match started with an early goal from Al-Nassr’s Ottavio in the 20th minute, but Al-Tai quickly equalized with a stunning strike from Dutch forward Virgil Misidjan. Misidjan’s night turned for the worse when he was sent off in the 36th minute after a reckless challenge on Al-Nassr goalkeeper David Ospina.
Al-Nassr capitalized on their one-man advantage, with Abdul Rehman Ghareeb scoring just before halftime to give them the lead.
The second half was a showcase of Ronaldo’s brilliance. The Portuguese superstar scored twice quickly in the 64th and 67th minutes, before completing his hat-trick in the 87th minute.
Despite the emphatic win, Al-Nassr remains 12 points behind Al-Ahly after 25 games played. With 13 matches left in the season, Luis Castro’s side will be looking to close the gap and challenge for the title.
