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Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr secured a hard-fought 5-2 win against Al-Shabab in the King Cup of Champions quarter-final on Monday, December 11 to reach the semi-finals.
The Knights of Najd got off to a poor start at the Al-Shabab Club Stadium when Abdulrahman Ghareeb tripped Yannick Carrasco inside the box in the 14th minute. However, the Belgian slipped while striking his penalty, wasting a glorious chance for the hosts.
Al-Nassr added to their woes in the 17th minute through Seko Fofana's goal. But Al-Shabab leveled the scores seven minutes later after Carlos Junior headed home following a corner.
Al-Nassr launched a blistering counter-attack in the 28th minute. Otavio cleverly played the ball across to Sadio Mane, who made no mistake, tapping the ball into the back of the net. Ghareeb struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time to make it 3-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo found the bottom-right corner with a fine finish in the 74th minute. Hattan Bahebri scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute for Al-Shabab but Mohammed Maran tapped home in the 96th minute to seal a dominant win.
Let's take a look at Al-Nassr's player ratings from the game:
Al-Nassr Player Ratings
Nawaf Alaqidi - 5/10
Alaqidi didn't have the best of performances. He was arguably at fault for Al-Shabab's second goal after his poor save fell into the path of Hattan Bahebri. He made just one save and conceded two goals.
Sultan Al-Ghannam - 7.5/10
Al-Ghannam looked assured both in defense and up the pitch. He completed 47 out of his 54 attempted passes with an accuracy of 87%. He also created one big chance, made four interceptions, made nine recoveries, and won three duels.
Ali Lajami - 7/10
Lajami looked composed with the ball, completing 63 out of his 67 passes with an accuracy of 94%. The 27-year-old also completed all six of his accurate long balls, made eight clearances, and won six duels.
Aymeric Laporte - 6/10
Laporte had a decent game, winning three duels, making two interceptions, and making eight clearances.
Ayman Ahmed - 7/10
Ahmed put in a good performance in the absence of the injured Alex Telles. He won all five of his duels with a success rate of 100%. He also made three recoveries and two interceptions.
Marcelo Brozovic - 8/10
Brozovic had an excellent game, providing an assist. The Croat also created two big chances, won six duels, and completed 67 out of his 71 attempted passes with an accuracy of 94%.
Seko Fofana - 7.5/10
Fofana put in another good performance, scoring a goal and creating two big chances. He completed 52 out of his 55 attempted passes with an accuracy of 95% and won six duels.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb - 7/10
Ghareeb had a rough start to the game when he conceded a penalty. However, he bounced back with a goal and created one big chance.
Otavio - 8.5/10
Otavio had a brilliant outing, providing two assists and creating three big chances, helping Al-Nassr get back into the game.
Sadio Mane - 8/10
Mane had a sensational performance, netting one goal and providing one assist. The 31-year-old also created two big chances and both his shots were on target during the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 8.5/10
Ronaldo was a constant threat for Al-Shabab during his 82 minutes on the pitch. The 38-year-old scored yet again, created one big chance, and landed four of his six shots on target.
Substitutes
Abdullah Al-Khaibari - 6/10
Al-Khaibari replaced Otavio in the 79th minute and played well.
Khalid Al-Ghannam - 6/10
Al-Ghannam replaced Ghareeb late in the 79th minute and put in a decent performance.
Mohammed Maran - 7/10
Maran came on in the 82nd minute for Ronaldo and was able to score Al-Nassr's fifth goal of the night.
Mohammed Qassem - N/A
Qassem was subbed on for Ahmed in the 82nd minute but didn't do enough to warrant a rating.
Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem - N/A
Al-Sulaiheem came on for Brozovic in the 84th minute but also did not do enough to warrant a rating.
