Ronaldo penalty sends Al Nassr to final of Arab Club Champions Cup
Ronaldo's penalty goal was the sole difference as Al Nassr defeated Al Shorta to reach the final of Arab Club Champions Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo converted from the spot in the 75th minute to guide Al Nassr to the final stage of the Arab Club Champions Cup. The Portuguese superstar scored the solitary goal of the game on Wednesday to see off Al Shorta in the semi-finals.
Al Nassr's new signing Sadio Mane earned a spot-kick for his side after the Senegalese was brought down illegally inside the penalty box. After a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check, the match official awarded Al Nassr a penalty and Ronaldo made no mistake in making full use of the opportunity.
The official Twitter handle of Al Nassr shared footage of Ronaldo's clinical conversion from the spot. "Ronaldo with his amazing technique," Al Nassr tweeted.
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Ronaldo's strike against Al Shorta marked his fourth consecutive goal in the Al Nassr jersey. In the final encounter of the Arab Club Champions Cup, Al Nassr will be up against Al Hilal.
With 64 per cent ball possession and 15 shots to their name, Al Nassr dominated their semi-final fixture thoroughly. The Riyadh-based side could have easily claimed a three-goal lead within 10 minutes of the game. But Al Shorta's Iraqi custodian Ahmed Basil made two crucial saves to keep his side alive in the contest.
The second half started in similar style with Al Nassr pursuing their ultra-attacking gameplay. The breakthrough finally came in the 75th minute after Sadio Mane was fouled inside the penalty box by opposition centre-back Faisal Jasim. Cristiano Ronaldo kept his composure to score the deciding goal of the fixture. The Iraqi champions had a golden chance to score the equaliser in the final minute of the match but Al Nassr goalkeeper Nawaf Alaqidi made a vital save to keep a clean sheet.
Following the game, Al Nassr coach Luis Castro underlined the need to bolster his side's defence. "I asked the club for another foreign centre-back, because we will compete in many competitions," Castro was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda at the post-match presser.
Al Nassr were trophyless last season despite making a high-profile signing, in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Saudi side will now be aiming to end their trophy drought by lifting the Arab Club Champions Cup trophy.
Ronaldo's stellar form will certainly offer the club a big boost ahead of the final match. The 38-year-old had scored Al Nassr's first goal of the match against Raja Casablanca in the quarter-finals of the Arab Club Champions Cup. Al Nassr clinched a convincing 3-1 victory in that game. Ronaldo has so far scored 17 times having played 23 matches for Al Nassr.
