Stefano Pioli got the perfect start to his Al Nassr managerial career as his team cruised to a 3-0 win against Al Ettifaq in a Saudi Pro League 2024-25 match at the Ettifaq Club Stadium on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Salem Al-Najdi and Talisca were among the goalscorers.
The match started slow, with neither team creating anything substantial in the opening quarter. Eventually, Al Nassr began to pick up pace, and its dominance on the pitch was visible as Steven Gerrard’s men mostly resorted to chasing the ball.
The Knights of Najd got their first opening in the 33rd minute when Abdullah Madu brought down Sultan Al-Ghannam with a reckless challenge inside the box. Ronaldo stood over the penalty and calmly slotted the ball in the middle of the net to score his 902nd goal for club and country.
AS IT HAPPENED: Al Ettifaq vs Al Nassr highlights
Al Nassr’s dominance continued in the second-half, with its second goal coming in the 56th minute. Sadio Mane played an excellent through ball for Al-Najdi, who expertly dinked the ball past Ettifaq keeper Marek Rodak from a tight angle to score the second goal.
Talisca put the cherry on the icing after rattling the net with a first-time finish in the 76th minute after getting at the end of Mane’s cutback from the left.
The win takes Al Nassr to fourth place with eight points from four games, while Ettifaq stays third with nine points in the same number of outings.
