· 2 min readIn this Al Nassr vs Al Taawoun match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Al Nassr came into this game with four wins from four games this season, but Al Taawoun was a much tougher test than it might seem. They don’t have many big stars, but they have a strong collective and are usually a difficult team to play against. Ronaldo was making his second start and, this time, he was expected to stay on the pitch for much longer.
Taawoun started in a very defensive 5-4-1, with Hamdallah alone up front. The former Nassr player was immediately booed by the fans, which is understandable after his spells at Al Ittihad and Al Hilal.
Al Nassr had the ball, a lot of the ball, but couldn’t get through. By the 12th minute, they already had 60% possession, but hadn’t registered a shot on target. The problem continued for long periods: five corners in 26 minutes, plenty of crosses and practically no chances. Taawoun defended deep and waited for the counterattack.
And it was precisely from a transition that the goal came. In the 11th minute, Hamdallah laid the ball back, El Bahraoui shot and the ball deflected off Samu Costa, went up towards the crossbar and came back into the box. Al-Hurayji reacted first, got ahead of the center-backs and scored. 0-1. The second consecutive game in which Nassr found themselves behind.
Postecoglou’s team needed to come up with something. Ronaldo started drifting out of position, looking to get more involved in the build-up, but the crosses continued to be easily dealt with by Taawoun’s center-backs. In the 40th minute, Mané forced Mailson into a save, but there was still a lack of real creativity.
Until Samu Costa appeared. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Mané cut inside and played the ball to the edge of the box. Samu received it with space, set himself up and hit a low shot with a beautiful curve into the corner. 1-1. A very beautiful goal and, above all, a crucial one.
In the second half, Taawoun dropped back again and Nassr finally found the space they had been looking for. In the 50th minute, Félix carried the ball along the byline and played a low cross into the box. Simakan shot, the ball fell to Ronaldo and the Portuguese only needed one touch to put it into the net. 2-1.
Goal number 978 of his career. Every single one recorded. Ronaldo simply doesn’t stop and continues to be decisive.
After that, Taawoun finally started trying to have more of the ball, but they never managed to create any real danger. The second half became more balanced in terms of possession and Nassr started protecting their lead. Mané hit the post in the 79th minute and Ronaldo came off shortly afterwards, with the team clearly more concerned with protecting the 2-1 than looking for a third.
On the other side, Nawaf Boushal had a huge game. The right-back was extremely consistent, read the game well and anticipated several situations before they became dangerous. Defensively, Nassr were comfortable too: Taawoun finished the second half without a single shot on target.
Félix still had one final chance late on, but Mailson saved it. A 2-1 victory, their fifth consecutive win of the season, and another comeback after going behind.
Post-match
It wasn’t a brilliant performance from Al Nassr, especially against such a deep defensive block, but they found solutions when they needed them most. Samu Costa scored a great goal, Félix was important once again and Ronaldo, as almost always, stepped up to decide the game.
