Cristiano Ronaldo came agonizingly close to securing a victory for Al Nassr in the season opener of the Saudi Pro League, but the home side was ultimately held to a 1-1 draw by Al Raed.
In the 34th minute, Sadio Mane delivered a precise corner that Ronaldo heroically headed in, marking his 50th goal in just 48 games with Al Nassr and giving the team a 1-0 lead.
The second half saw intense action as Amir Sayoud's attempt was thwarted by Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento. Aymeric Laporte then committed a foul on Mohammed Fouzair while contesting the rebound, resulting in a penalty for Al Raed after a VAR review downgraded Laporte's initial red card to a yellow.
Fouzair didn't miss, converting the spot kick to level the score at 1-1.
Later, in the 76th minute, Ronaldo found himself in an offside position as he tried to push Al Nassr ahead, a decision that left him visibly frustrated. Despite maintaining dominant possession throughout the second half, Al Nassr couldn't break down the resilient Al Raed defense, culminating in a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
Reference(s):
Ronaldo denied winner as Al Nassr held 1-1 by Al Raed in season-opener
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