Ronaldo GOAL 979! | Al Nassr vs Abha 2-1 | Extended Highlights

Jolted by a first league defeat of the season in Jeddah on Saturday, Al Nasser have the opportunity, a perfect one in fact, to get back on track against newly promoted opponents still looking for their first win of the season. Abha are back in the big time after a two year absence, but don't have happy memories from their last encounter with tonight's opponents, having been thumped. Al Nasser make five changes with Bento back in goal in preference to Nawaf Al-Hakimi. Inigo Martinez returns in central defence, Saad Al Nasser is at full back, starting for the first time since getting injured on the opening day. What about the visitors? Abha's line-up shows just one change from the 1-0 defeat to Al Atifak, Abdul Karim Darisi who's on loan from Al-Hilal, returns from a knee injury to play for the first time since match day one, Keshim Al-Khattani drops to the bench, it's a night, slight delay for the start of the match but I think we're just about ready and on the whistle of our referee we're underway. Al Nasser in their traditional colours, the yellow shirts and blue shorts, Abha the team with plenty to do as they settle into life back with the Saudi pro-league elite having won the first division title last season but they're on the back foot already, it's Angelo for the host, it's in behind Ronaldo and collected for the first time since the opening weekend of the season, this is the first touch of the ball in the UAE pro-league, most recently before this but played a lot for Real, Ghori standing near the ball, Fekir leaves it, Ghori sends it over and the shot high over the top of the crossbar from Ghorin, Ghori up from the back. Yeah and it's an opportunity because when it's headed back in, he's still onside, the opportunity to strike and that's what we expect being a good player is Al Hamdan who's really got an impressive work rate, really puts himself about, here could be the first chance and it's a first save from Leon, back out to Ronaldo trying to find his way through, this is the earlier chance when he just cut the ball in to Angelo who arrives, left footed shot straight in the goalkeeper, this is the challenge that he's committed this evening, here's Mane who's scored the two goals that ultimately beat Etihak, referee doing a good job of trying to keep the game full, here's Mane you see just drags it past Fekir, catches him, greater emphasis on pressing and speed and running, Angelo's way, intensity, certainly running power, not easy in these conditions as Ronaldo floats it over the top of the bar, yeah that incredible strike that Ronaldo has where he strikes through the dip and curl and swerve you can see this time he almost balloons it, he actually strikes that one underneath so it's a low strike which chips the ball, he'll be disappointed with that attempt, but you have to say admittedly they're not last season to return to the top table, beat 1-0 in their most recent game by Al Etihak, here comes Ronaldo, it was inviting and it's been met by Al Hamdan, but Ronaldo whips that ball through the 18 yard box as Al Hamdan cuts it back, does the keeper save it, pushes it in to the side netting, just comes off his left arm, Al Fateh playing at Direia club, it's 0-0 in that one as Gushal sends it across, headed up and away by Gari, it's a lovely ball in and an excellent header away under pressure and it was hit away by Al Fahad, yeah he reads the situation well and he knows he has to make that contact and he does, Al Fahed, good delivery, excellent defending Angelo is going to take it, decent one and it's headed home by you know who, Cristiano Ronaldo breaks the deadlock for Al Nasser, well I've got to say it's all about delivery and what a fantastic first corner it is, whipped in flat, fast, Cristiano Ronaldo just relishes an opportunity like that, he knows all he has to do is get a touch and what a touch it is, flick, absolutely, watch the timing, rises as that ball's arriving, hangs in the air and the flick was absolutely perfect into the far corner, brilliant delivery, lovely lovely header from Cristiano Ronaldo, goal number 979 on the road to 1000, well there's nothing that this man can't do and that is a fabulous start, so it can be very frustrating Cristiano Ronaldo gives Al Nasser the lead and the stadium comes to life as a result, that's what many in the crowd have come to see and here he is again, that's a rather more straightforward save for Donovan León this time Well he just had one thing in his mind when he received that ball, that comes from scoring a goal Simon, you just feel that the next opportunity is going to come and it comes so quickly, Cristiano Here come Abha, trying to respond straight away and so unlucky on the far side, Ghori with the shot, oh and a wasted opportunity, flag's gone up anyway, far side but so so close to an immediate equaliser, moments before that They couldn't have gone any closer, Ghori picks it up, he has time, he drives in, it's a fine left foot shot that beats Bento but comes thundering back off the post, it's a really good hit, just a fraction out from striking the post From this angle Batshuayi takes off, it's a close call, had it ended up in the net VAR would have looked at that but very, very good defending from Simakan, holding Batshuayi up, forcing him away, turning him away from goal Angelo delivered a brilliant cross for the first goal Flipping that one in, to the danger area, it's Ronaldo and it's blocked on the line, he's claiming there's a handball Information, ball comes back across Ronaldo, brings it down, strikes it, this is the angle where we see it, no saved by the goalkeeper There's no handball there Absolutely not, strikes it and the goalkeeper's left hand stops it, brilliant save There goes the half time whistle and Cristiano Ronaldo's header separates the two sides at the break, he came closest to extending Alnasser's lead Which from Riyad and Awal Park as Cristiano Ronaldo leads the champions back out onto the field, it is he who has scored the only goal of the match It was a decent one as well, a lovely delivery from Angelo from the corner with that sort of trademark leap This, Alnasser will join Al-Hilal and Al-Qadisiyah on 15 points at the top of the table They would be in second place on goal difference behind Al-Hilal Abha get us underway at the start of this second half in the dark jerseys with the white I should think the champions will be looking to extend their lead as early as possible, if indeed it is possible Because they will just want that little bit of added comfort and that's a lovely flick from Al-Hamdan and an excellent challenge from Abdulbaset Hindi Yeah, clever, Al-Hamdan off of his heels, just tries to reverse his position back behind the defender who makes a really good saving tackle Good positive start from Al-Hamdan, very, very warm conditions, but he demands it of his players Ronaldo, free kick, toppled over the challenge of Abdullah Al-Khad You can see he thought he had a horrible free kick in the first half, he literally ballooned over the crossbar I think this is from a more favourable distance This is going to test Donovan Leon, the goalkeeper for Abha Ronaldo's delivery, sends it skidding past the foot of the post If you can see the expression, he's trying to wind it round the wall, two yards wide of that upright ...who is in his second season, signed from Al-Khazam last year Here comes Bouchal, lovely play from the full-back, now off Bouchal, can't pick out Al-Hamdan And it's blocked in front of the goalkeeper, the shot from Samu Kosta ...situation well, this is the earliest shot, good headed clear Indy Header saves the day, and there he is once more getting stuck in, it fell kindly at the feet of Al-Khaibari Something for Mane to run on to, he's got Ronaldo ahead of him He'll get to it first, and Ronaldo, lovely little exchange, Samu Kosta Tried the short exchange of passes with Angelo, over it comes from Bouchal Who just got a little bit excited there with that one, but Ronaldo is loitering in an offside position Ronaldo offside with the Bouchal cross comes to the back post He was well offside, unfortunately Cristiano, he was offside Simicam, Angelo over on the far side, Ronaldo through the middle, Al-Hamdan up in the box as well Promising play, half cleared, Al-Hamdan for 2-0 It's an excellent finish from the Saudi Arabian International Just the daylight the champions were looking for Well it all comes about initially from the run from Angelo Taking on the full back, driving to the byline And as he fizzes the cross, he's back out to Al-Hamdan What I like about it is his first touch, the touch to give him the chance to strike the ball home It's not easy to deal with, but his first touch is absolutely dead And the strike is brilliant into the far corner That probably wraps up this game tonight And it is another goal of quality Al-Hamdan, brilliant finish His second goal of the season As we see Angelo's run, ricochet, lovely first touch from Al-Hamdan Watch it there, he kills it, absolutely stone dead For then the strike into the far corner Comes about from the Angelo run, but it is a quality first touch And strike into the far corner From that man, Al-Hamdan A terrific finish for 2-0 Bouchard and Ronaldo Al-Nasr into Cristiano Ronaldo It's a comfortable catch for Donovan Leon In possession of the ball, Ronaldo trying to hook it back into the... Come on We think he replaced the score of the second goal, Abdullah Al-Hamdan A little bit late there, Simon Costa Yeah, that was a tight... At the side of the ball The left-footed Fakir Referee spotted something inside the box that he wants to sort out Abdulbaset Hindi and Inigo Martinez Costa just saying keep an eye on him He's the one who's pulling and pushing Referee's across it Pipped in by Fakir who scored Superb free kick That was the last thing that they were expecting And that's why he did it, Nabil Fakir Well it's brilliant Just disrupted because of what had happened With the referee speaking Leaves a big gap as you can see at that near post And Fakir just sees the half chance The opportunity, brilliantly driven Goalkeeper should keep it out But he's parried it into the corner To give Abba some hope Well maybe the points aren't necessarily in the bag A bit of something to go for Some hope still left in this game Forward towards Sadio Mane It's been a relatively quiet night from Mane So far Yeah, it has I can't remember too many opportunities for Mane either in the game Al-Nasri with the throw Into Mane Brilliant play from him Almost created the space from nothing to get a shot in Twisted and turning Very, very Leon does really well in the end He's offside when the ball's initially played to his feet Al-Nasr, Nabil Fakir With a free kick for Abba And Mohamed Simakhan has been dispossessed here by Batshuayi Who puts it just wide Agonisingly for Abba Was that position on the touchline From Simakhan, drives into the box Martinez across Batshuayi gets the strike away Doesn't quite strike it as cleanly as he would have liked Inches wide Well, he was under real pressure from both central defenders there I think he had to try and get the shot away quickly Before the challenge came in Well, that was a close escape for Al-Nasr Far from it from Al-Nasr And it's not over yet Not over yet But now Af Bushal goes in search Of a third goal And Ronaldo strikes it and brings the save from Donovan Leon Good play Bushal Driving from that right-hand side And there's the final whistle And Al-Nasr responds with a victory After losing at the weekend for the first time this season And leading them on the road to the three points Cristiano Ronaldo with the header Abdullah Al-Hamdan with the winning goal Despite Nabil Fekir's free kick for Abha It's finished, Al-Nasr 2, Abha 1