Al-Nassr have defeated Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq 3-1 in the Saudi Pro League’s 17th round on Friday afternoon.
The Riyadh giants returned to action after almost two weeks to take on Al-Ettifaq hoping to keep up with rivals Al-Hilal in the title race.
With Alex Telles returning from injury, head coach Luis Castro fielded a strong lineup as Cristiano Ronaldo, Anderson Talisca, Otavio, and Sadio Mane continued to lead the attack.
The opening minutes saw the home side dominate the early stages and nearly break the deadlock after nine minutes with Ronaldo’s free-kick effort forcing a good save from Paulo Victor.
Sadio Mane spurned a golden opportunity to give his side the lead less than six minutes later as the Senegalese was through on goal but his finish went wide and off target.
A resolute defensive display from the visitors kept Al-Nassr at bay for a huge portion of the first half but Alex Telles had other ideas heading into the break.
The Brazilian popped up at the edge of the box and unleashed a thunderous strike on the volley to score a potential goal-of-the-season contender and give his side a deserved lead.
The second half saw Marcelo Brozovic add a second near the hour mark from a quick move before Ronaldo converted a late penalty to put the game to bed despite a consolation from Mohamed Al-Kuwaykibi.
The win kept a ten-point gap to Al-Hilal at the top of the league table as Al-Nassr head to Jeddah next week to face Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad.