Mané breaks the deadlock; Martínez seals it
The night began with a tribute and ended with a statement. In front of a loud Al-Awwal Park, Al-Nassr beat Al-Kholood 2-0, a win built on patience, tempo, and a second-half surge. Sadio Mané struck in the 52nd minute, and Iñigo Martínez made sure of it in the 81st. Before the whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo collected his second straight Saudi Pro League Golden Boot—last season’s top scorer with 25—then spent 90 minutes dragging defenders out of shape and knitting attacks together.
The first half told a familiar story: control without the finish. Ronaldo, constantly on the move, flashed efforts wide and forced hurried clearances with his aerial presence. João Félix drove at gaps and tried to curl one beyond the far post, while Kingsley Coman hugged the touchline to stretch Al-Kholood’s back four. Marcelo Brozovic kept the passing tidy, recycling possession and switching play to pull the visitors from side to side.
Al-Kholood had their brave moments. Ramiro Enrique led a few breaks, turning quickly and testing the home defense with direct runs. They earned corners and tried to crowd the box, but Martínez and the back line were calm, stepping in early, winning first contacts, and clearing second balls. When Al-Nassr upped the pace, the visitors retreated into two compact lines and waited for mistakes.
The breakthrough came right after halftime, just when the rhythm needed a jolt. Mané found the seam, timed his movement, and finished cleanly—exactly the kind of run he’d been threatening since the opening minutes. From there, the match tilted further. Ronaldo’s back-heel combinations and near-post darts kept inviting runners. Coman kept isolating his man, Félix drifted between the lines, and Brozovic zipped passes into feet as the tempo rose.
Martínez put the result beyond doubt in the 81st minute, arriving at the right time to slot home. For a defender who had already set the tone at the back, it was a reward for reading the game well at both ends. Al-Kholood tried to rally late, but they struggled to carry the ball through midfield against fresh legs and organized pressure.
- Pre-match: Cristiano Ronaldo receives his second consecutive Saudi Pro League Golden Boot after a 25-goal campaign.
- 52': Sadio Mané opens the scoring after sustained pressure and quick interchanges around the box.
- 81': Iñigo Martínez adds the second, capping a controlled defensive display with a decisive finish.
Referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea kept things moving. It was physical at times, with a steady flow of corners and restarts, but he let advantage play when it made sense and dialed the temperature down when duels got too tight. The game never boiled over, which suited Al-Nassr’s rhythm-heavy approach.
What stood out: movement, width, and control
The shape worked because of how the pieces fit. Ronaldo’s gravity pulled markers, opening the half-spaces for Félix to dart into. When Félix tucked inside, Coman went wide and high, pinning the full-back and creating 1v1s. Brozovic, head up and scanning, switched flanks in two touches to hit the weak side before Al-Kholood could reset. That triangle of movement repeated all night, and the visitors kept having to choose which threat to close down.
Another key theme: speed and clarity in the final third. The passing wasn’t just neat—it was fast. One- and two-touch combinations around the D pulled Al-Kholood’s midfielders out, and the moment a line was broken, runners sprinted beyond. Mané lived off those little triggers. If Ronaldo dropped, Mané went. If Coman beat his man, Mané arrived at the near post. It took until the 52nd minute to count on the scoreboard, but the signs were there from the first 15.
Defensively, the balance was solid. Martínez commanded the line, stepping out to intercept before Al-Kholood could square their shoulders toward goal. Full-backs chose their moments to join attacks but were quick to recover whenever Enrique tried to burst through. On transitions, the first pass forward from Al-Kholood rarely found a free runner; the midfield’s counter-press closed passing angles and forced hopeful balls into crowded areas.
Al-Kholood’s plan wasn’t naive. They tried to slow the tempo, bought time on set pieces, and looked for Enrique early. Their best periods came when they won second balls and turned Al-Nassr back toward their own goal. But the home side’s spacing—midfielders always available at angles—snuffed out those spells before they became waves. By the final quarter-hour, the visitors’ legs faded under the constant sprint back toward their own box.
Individual storylines layered the win. Mané looked sharp and decisive, picking his timing rather than forcing shots. Ronaldo didn’t score but stayed central to the build-up, with those trademark flicks and chest lay-offs that let others flow around him. Félix kept asking questions in tight spaces, a foil to Coman’s direct running on the outside. Brozovic anchored everything, shuttling back to close lanes and stepping forward to connect the thirds.
The pre-match Golden Boot moment mattered, too. It set the tone: yes, celebrate the past, but keep the standard. The crowd fed off it, and the team’s confidence was obvious—players took shots from range, tried brave passes, and kept the ambition high for 90 minutes. It helped that the defense didn’t yield much, so missed chances didn’t give Al-Kholood easy counter-attacks.
This win extends the strong early-season form that began last week, and the pattern is encouraging. The attack has multiple routes to goal, not just crosses to the No. 9. When opponents clog the middle, the ball goes wide to Coman; when they hang back, Brozovic speeds the tempo through the center; when they follow Ronaldo deep, Mané darts in behind. That variety makes game plans harder for opponents and eases the pressure on any one star to deliver every time.
There’s still polish to add—cleaner finishing in the first half would have spared some nerves—but the structure is clear and the ceiling is high. The back line looks organized, the midfield is in sync, and the front four rotate without stepping on each other’s toes. Against a disciplined Al-Kholood side that refused to open up, two goals and a clean sheet are a fair return.
As the league schedule tightens, these controlled, low-drama wins matter. They build rhythm, protect energy levels, and keep the dressing room calm. With Ronaldo in form as a creator, Mané finding the net, and Martínez contributing on both ends, Al-Nassr carry momentum into the next stretch of the Saudi Pro League campaign.
September 15 2025 0
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