Cristiano Ronaldo Fires Blank but Al Nassr See out Hard Fought Win vs Al Khaleej in Saudi Pro League

• Al-Nassr completed a league double over Al Khaleej
• Aymeric Laporte's header sealed a tough 1-0 victory
• They also welcomed back Ronaldo after his suspension

Al-Nassr recorded their sixth win in their last seven matches across all competitions with a narrow win against Al Khaleej on Saturday, April 27.

The Knights of Najd welcomed talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, into their lineup for the first time since their Saudi Super Cup semi-final defeat to Al-Hilal, but it was Aymeric Laporte who scored the winner.

The former Manchester City defender rose highest to connect with a Marcelo Brozovic freekick, sealing all three points for Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo fires blank but Al-Nassr win

Despite their head-to-head advantage over Khaleej, it was Al-Nassr, who looked jittery in the early stages of the game with Mohammed Sherif seeing his goal scratched off for offside in the seventh minute.

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Sherif's strike gave the visitors a rude awakening, and they responded in kind with a goal from Ronaldo in the 15th minute. However, Daily Sports reports that the goal was also rightly chalked off due to offside.

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus ace went close to scoring five minutes later but was thwarted by goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic.

He came within a whisker of breaking the game's deadlock in first-half stoppage time, but the Khaleej custodian repelled his effort again to keep the scoreline barren at halftime.

After recess, the 2023 Arab Cup winners upped the ante and finally got the breakthrough their persistence deserved, with Laporte nodding home from close range in the 68th minute, per GOAL.

CR7 tried his luck once more but to no avail, as his attempt from close range went wide off the mark, underscoring a frustrating moment for the Portuguese phenom.

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Sadio Mane stars in Ronaldo's absence

In a previous publication, Sports Brief detailed Sadio Mane's redemption arc as he scored two goals to propel Al-Nassr to a comeback win against Al Fayha on Friday, April 19.

Despite missing a penalty in the first half, Mane's brace, along with a powerful header from Abdulelah Al Amri, overshadowed Fashion Saka's early goal, ensuring that Ronaldo's absence was not felt by the Knights of Najd.