Cristiano Ronaldo SCORES & WINS IT… TITLE IS COMING!

Have a five-point gap over the field right now. How lucky, they've got some serious... Oh, it is Abdullah Al-Khaibari in for Angelo, the only change from the Alnasser side that won a week ago against the Qatari side. They just look the part, don't they? I think they've had a superb season, I really do. I think they started in a way where they sent out a message and you just have to look around this wonderful stadium tonight and you see what it means to those... But for those that have conquered the continent and for those that yet might, this and that has to be put on a mental pause for now. This is crunch time in the Saudi Pro League, Alnasser in the driving seat, Al-Akhli still clinging on in there, just... Paul Robinson, they do rely on their set pieces. Al-Akhli, they've got a number of goals from that this season and with the Banez and Demiral, they're a threat in both boxes, very effective at both ends of the field. Red card produced and that was within the 90 minutes as well, so Al-Akhli had to go a long way in that game with 10 men against their Japanese opponents, all the way to extra time. And if there's any team in this league that can defensively stay into a game, it's Al-Akhli. That's what makes this so intriguing tonight, as to how they approach this game again. Sean Shoizuzu's Alnasser, turned over the top for Tony, Simakam retreating, Tony's found the pass and that's an excellent recovery challenge. Crack does eventually go up anyway. Defensive challenge it really is, it's a great turnover of possession. VAR would have looked at it, Ivan Toni to the naked eye there, he does look offside, his first touch didn't allow him the chance. Ball went across the middle and Al-Amri sliding in there, he makes contact with Frank Kersiak. The VAR will have a look at that, it's a dangerous challenge from behind, the defender takes a risk. Camera person didn't help at all with his positioning, Helena's going to leave it. Mares, something that was deceived and then Bento with the save from Demiral, because his header. Work free kick from the visitors, takes Alnasser by surprise, they push up, keeps himself on side, it's a comfortable save in the end for Bento, possession. Here again we see the opportunity for Demiral, set players will be an asset for them, it's a free header, maybe slightly behind him, just can't quite generate the power. It was a comfortable save for Bento, one you'd very much expect the goalkeeper to make, but as I say in Mateja's eyes, he won't expect his team to come here and dominate possession, they're a team who are quite comfortable without the ball, Al-Akhli has got the go-ahead now, over the head of Ronaldo, he's come through to Simakhan, has lashed at that. Wrong choice from Simakhan wasn't it, looks like they've played a high line, Al-Akhli, the Alnasser players would have been offside when he gets in that position, he makes the wrong choice, he goes for goal, I think Joao Felix and Ronaldo were in better positions Mares weaving and working his way through and it's come out to Galeno who's bent it wide and right there's the threat that Al-Akhli carry, they sit defensively deep but they spring and they're quick on the counter-attack, Mares, Galeno within three passes having an attempt on goal, this has been brilliant so far, it's been so frantic and hectic, we're seeing two teams who are going all out for three points, this could be a good watch, because Franklin against Al-Kadhi is here, oh Chris, they've got a massive nine days, they've got three huge, huge games in the space of nine games which could be season-defining, it will be season-defining for them, also that big game coming up against Al-Halal, you look at Al-Halal's running, last two games in the league, and now Joao Felix and Joao Felix has a couple of options here, Ronaldo and Mane up ahead of him, it's gone to Ronaldo who got his shot away quickly, he nearly deceived Edouard Mendy as well, who had to be, there's the quality of the man, 20 minutes into the game, we've hardly mentioned him but he gets an opportunity, it's a super first touch and just as quick he gets the ball out of his feet, hits it with his left, slight defection and it looks like a really good save from Edouard Mendy, such quick intelligent play from Ronaldo, a good save to keep him at bay, there's only two teams in the Saudi Pro League he plays, Felix just drifting around picking up pockets of space, Ronaldo for Brozovic, this is Mane, Koeman and Ronaldo and Brozovic are waiting in the middle, Mendy with a plunge in the direction of the ball, what a win would mean tonight, Mane doing everything he can to disrupt Franck Kessier, a slight discrepancy in size, Kessier defending there, Sadio Mane puts his body in, makes a strong challenge, in terms of the seasons for these two has been the goals that they have scored, he's gone in there and played to their strengths rather than trying to defend weaknesses, he's looked at the top end of the field and said okay that's where we're the strongest, that's where we'll win games, shifting it towards Mane, Koeman in the box, wasn't the option that Mane wanted to try and utilise, Koeman but we shall allow to that, Brozovic drifting it over the top, Ronaldo taking it on, Mendy's come a long way, Ronaldo's still got a bit of work to do, he's lifted it in looking for Joao Felix, away by Demarel, taken down by Atangana, well Mendy for a moment was in no man's land, there you got that his depth of perception is normally good, he's normally a good reader of the through ball, Cristiano Ronaldo's touch, he was probably a little bit further away than he would have wanted it, but he gets there before the goalkeeper and he's completely out of position and he gets lucky there, Edouard Mendy, he had no support with him Cristiano Ronaldo, it's a good position but he looks up and there's an empty penalty box, nobody there to help him out, Ipanez all the way up there, it's not to be deceived Alhambra by the presence of another centre-back in his own penalty area, seconds of a eye-catching first half without a goal so far, Galeno, Kessier who was shouting for a handball while also trying to get on the end of the ball, and at the end of it all the decision is goal kick, call on this, looking for a handball there, Frank Kessier at the far post, doesn't know what to do whether to continue to try and keep the ball in play or to stop and appeal to the referee, look too much in that, Martinez is not even looking at the ball, he's got his back turned to the ball, there's a little bit of an aftermath coming together of the players in the box as well, complaints right now are rife in all quarters aren't they, there is the conclusion of a tight and tense 45 minutes so far, and they're very effective for Ronaldo, still on now but does that play on the mind a little bit, and they will be like eagles watching this, yeah and it'll be like that between now and the end of the season, this is a huge huge opportunity for Alnasser at home, into the middle it comes and it's come for Mahrez, and Riyad Mahrez scores, but it won't count because the flag is going to, Buckley fans away to the right hand side in the corner, and again it's that high line that Alnasser played, catches Frank Oven, surrounded by four at one point there, Al-Khaibari, Felix, too high for Mane, you can see what he's trying to do there, Joe Felix, Sadio Mane gets into the box, he's completely unmarked, it's half a chance, ball from Felix, slightly too high for Sadio Mane, Felix trying to go around Emerald, in the book tonight, it's a good ball into Joe Felix and he knows that he's got the pace to get round him, intelligent play from the Portuguese, kick in a position where Cristiano Ronaldo will I imagine be keeping Mendy on his toes a bit here, he scored past me from a similar area, 100% this will be going towards the goal, I hope Mendy's been watching the highlights of that game, maybe not taking any goalkeeping technique tips off me for that incident, Ronaldo he has gone for goal and Mendy's positioning was fine, Old Trafford, very similar area, and I unlike Edouard Mendy didn't read the situation, but to be fair to Ronaldo he whacked it up high into the near post, Mendy does well there, takes no chances, gets too good through a small gap towards Val Felix who still wants it, but now he's going to make the move for Mane instead, Mane's making his own moves, Koeman, now they're lingering, that's Ronaldo, that's Val Felix and that is the best chance of Alnasser's night so far, the player of his quality who expected to hit the target from that type of area, characteristic of Cristiano Ronaldo, just lets the ball out of his feet but he's got the tactical intelligence just to poke it into the path of his teammate, sits nicely for Joe Felix, Mendy, quick to move it to Demerle, Atangana and the high presses work for Alnasser, Martinez swinging it in, Mendy claiming it above Renat, we are waiting still for the explosive first moments of this game, Val Felix and it is not arriving here and now at least, behind him, that's Mane, that's a nice ball for Brozovic who took it well too, to keep this attack moving quickly for Alnasser, Mane pulled over by Masrashi, not getting a yellow card himself here, can he get one right, can Alnasser find a breakthrough here, Ronaldo was in there and so was Simakan and somehow amongst that cluster of yellow, nobody got a decisive touch, what a super ball, that is a quality delivery for all the poor ones he's had tonight for somebody, good defensive line from Alakli, Cristiano Ronaldo can't quite get the touch he wants at the near post, Alhambra can't reach it and no touch at the far post, two Alnasser players flying in, it's a super delivery, it was begging somebody to put it in lovely touch, Val Felix into the task, sticking to him too tightly, Jorge Sous has marched out of his technical area to remind the referee, he's going to say if he wasn't on the tightrope, he's at least climbing the steps to get up there isn't he, he's getting close to it with the accumulation as well and that's a challenge once again, he doesn't need to make that challenge, he's going nowhere in that situation, Val Felix, these are the moments that matter at this stage of the season, last quarter of an hour, Val Felix close to Mendy and not taking a chance, Atangana on his goalkeeper, Atangana puts himself in front of that near post, he would like one moment wouldn't he, just the one, normally finds them doesn't he, Felix and and who has found the net, Cristiano Ronaldo, that's the moment and it might be a defining moment in Alnasser's season, getting ever closer to where they want to be he normally finds them and he might just have found the biggest goal of his and Alnasser's season, it's a super delivery but once again he gets to the near post, he's the biggest, he's the tallest, the strongest and there was only going to ever be one outcome, it's a brilliant header, it glances off the side of his head, the direction of it's perfect and it's a massive, massive goal in the context of the season and this match, one touch is all it takes and they're falling in love again, big players, when your team needs a moment, quality always rises to the top and now he is going to be entrusted with, once again see the goal, he knew what he was doing, the communication with his fellow countrymen, sneaks on the inside of the goalkeeper, it's all about the delivery of his movement, watch his movement, very, very clever piece of movement and we know the leap that he's got and the quality that it possesses and what a great side, I get a feeling that might be one of the shots of the season, certainly feels like if it is to be an Alnasser win, one of the wins of their season, listen to this stadium, there's been a belief all season, the way that they started the meaningful contact, Jahani and the Alnasser joy, unbridled, unfiltered and look what it means to him, you know everything that he's achieved through his career, the trophies that he's won, the milestones that he's hit, still scoring a goal, the passion that it still brings to him, Brozovic with the free kick, Koeman, Koeman, Ronaldo, support, Brozovic, Brozovic and Demarell, clatters it behind, he's frustrated with his teammates, things aren't quite going the way that he wants, he can get over the line here, Brozovic, Rashid there, up into the sky by Mahrez, one by Jaya, that's a hit by Koeman, that is a hit by Kingsley Koeman and that'll do it for Alnasser, edging closer and closer to getting their hands on the title again, wow, wow, wow, what a strike from Koeman, they do so well, Alnasser, they keep the ball alive and he finds himself in space, he's got no other options, he just puts his foot through the ball and it's sheer power and pace that whizzes past Edouard Mendy, at such pace, still no emotion from the manager but he knows that's job done tonight and that's one step closer, yes you're right, one step closer to that league title, he's been in such great, once again he's played a captain's role and he knows it, means so much to him and Alnasser, George Jesus, and Alnasser once more, stretching their legs at the top of the Saudi Pro League table, eight points clear of Al-Hilal and they will be feeling like sooner rather than later, they are finally going to say that they are the champions of Saudi Arabia again, the celebrations feel that way on a mighty night for Alnasser, they've beaten Al-Akhli by two goals intelligent, five champions, okay you said five champions for sure, five, five, congratulations by the way, what a game, crazy game, about the fans, about the players, about the result, three points, tell me, tell me the impression about this game, it's a crazy game, well very difficult game, you knew it that we're going to play one of the best teams in the league but I think in the first half it was very tight technically but in the second half we play better, we create more chances and of course we deserve to win because we scored two goals, a lot of stress in this game, we saw that, why you think that, before the game a lot of talking about this game, is that affect Cristiano about what we saw today, I think this is not good for the league, everyone complain, everyone do it more than they should do, this is football, this is not just a, this is not a war, we know we have to fight, everyone wants to win but it's not allowed everything, it's not allowed everything, I'm gonna have time to speak in the end of the season because I see many, many, many bad things, many players complain, do it posts in Instagram and Facebook, speak about the referee, speak about the league, speak about the project, I think this is not good, this is not, this is not the goal of the league, we should give examples not only here but but also for the Europe, that we want to compete with them to be one of the best leagues in the world, but like that I think we should analyze, stop that, speak with the SPL because this is not, for me this is not football. The last question, sorry Saad, you celebrate with our black circle, it's our pleasure to see that you always support our culture. They love me, they love me, it's not a problem, they support their team but for me it's not a problem, I'm used to have this kind of people because I played so many years in Juventus, Real Madrid and Manchester and for me it's not a problem, what I want to see is our fans happy. Thank you so much Cristiano.