New Delhi, August 11 (HS): Cristiano Ronaldo’s superb two-goal performance was not enough to spare Al Nassr from defeat, as the Saudi Pro League side suffered a 3-2 loss to Spanish Segunda División outfit UD Almeria in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.
The match began with a quick breakthrough for Almeria in the 6th minute, when Sergio Arribas slotted home from a Leo Baptistão assist, putting the visitors ahead. However, just five minutes later, Ayman Yahya and Sadio Mané combined with crisp one-touch passing, setting up Ronaldo to fire home from inside the penalty area and level the score.
Ronaldo struck again before halftime, converting a penalty with ease after goalkeeper Álvaro Fernández fouled inside the box. The Portuguese star’s brace took his tally to five goals in just two matches.
But Al Nassr’s momentum shifted when goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi’s costly error gifted possession to Adrián Embarba, who calmly finished into an unguarded net to make it 2-2.
In the second half, Al Nassr’s attacking threat waned noticeably after Ronaldo was substituted. Embarba later latched onto a precise pass from Arribas and unleashed a clinical strike to give Almeria the decisive lead.
Deep into stoppage time, João Félix had a golden chance to restore parity, but he failed to connect cleanly with a low cross from the right flank, leaving Al Nassr empty-handed despite Ronaldo’s heroics.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
