Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nasr celebrates during Saudi Pro League match against Al Ettifaq in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, September 20, 2024.
In the Saudi Pro League, Stefano Pioli won his first game in charge of Al-Nassr in a comfortable 3-0 victory at Al-Ettifaq.
The Italian led AC Milan to the Serie A title in 2022 and was appointed on Wednesday to succeed Luis Castro, who was dismissed due to the club’s slow start to the season with just one win in three league games.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned after missing Al-Nassr’s draw in the AFC Champions League Elite with Iraq’s Al-Shorta earlier this week due to a viral infection. He scored from penalty spot for his third goal of the season after 33 minutes.
In the second half, Salem Al Najdi doubled the lead from a tight angle in the 56th minute, and Anderson Talisca netted in the third with a low drive.
Al Nassr moved to fourth in the table. Meanwhile, the defeat was the first of the season for Al-Ettifaq and Steven Gerrard’s team stayed third.
