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Al-Nassr's battle to finish third in the Saudi Pro League this season to secure AFC Champions League football has continued, with Al Qadsiyah and Al-Ahli within two points. After suffering defeat to Al-Ittihad, Faris Najd knew that they were in for any easy outing on Monday evening as they went up against 17th-placed Al-Akhdoud. Stefano Pioli decided to leave five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo out of his squad, and Al-Nassr cruised to an easy victory against the relegation battlers.
Pioli's side had a comfortable start to the game as they rotated possession against the deep defensive line of Al-Akhdoud, however, the first quarter of the hour did not see them challenge Paulo Vitor's goal. When Ayman Yahya opened the scoring in the 16th minute for Al-Nassr, he opened the floodgates for the night as Jhon Duran and Marcelo Brozovic tripled their lead in just over 10 minutes. Mane then scored the fourth of the night from the penalty spot for Pioli's side after Nawaf Boushal was brought down inside the box just before the half-time whistle.
Al-Akhdoud's trouble then increased tenfold just minutes into the second half as Vitor was questionably sent off for a last-man challenge on Otavio as he charged through on a loose ball. Duran was ready to show that he can play centrally in the absence of Ronaldo, as he exhibited a perfect striker's finish to score his second goal of the night and Al-Nassr's fifth. As was the case in the first half, one goal brings two more as Mane completed his hat-trick with two goals in six minutes, to get Faris Najd's tally up to seven. The Senegalese then got his fourth of the night to give Pioli's side a massive 8-0 lead, before Mohammed Maran scored a penalty in injury time. The result marks Nassr's biggest win in their history.
THE MVP
Mane turned back the years on Monday evening as he grabbed his first Saudi Pro League hat-trick, and finished the game with four goals to his name. The Senegalese has always been more of an afterthought at Al-Nassr since his move, as Ronaldo took the spotlight but he showed that he can spearhead the attack on his own when needed. The Liverpool legend brought his SPL goal tally up to 13 with his quadruple.
THE BIG LOSER
Ronaldo did not feature at all during Al-Nassr's massive win, and one must wonder what is going on inside the mind of the Portugal captain. Firstly, he missed out on a rout that could have helped him gain ground on his dream of scoring 1000 goals. Secondly, he may now be giving some thought to the idea that Nassr can perform capably without him, especially given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his contract situation.
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