In the third round of the Saudi Pro League, Al-Nassr from Riyadh secured a hard-fought away victory over Al-Ettifaq from Dammam, reports infohub.kz.
The match, held at the Abdullah Al-Dabil Stadium in Dammam, ended 2-2 in regular time, but the visitors managed to snatch the win while playing a man down.
As early as the 12th minute, Brazilian goalkeeper Bento of Al-Nassr was sent off, leaving his team with ten men. The hosts capitalized on the numerical advantage, scoring twice before the break through Slovak midfielder Ondrej Duda (31st minute) and Spanish midfielder Alvaro Medran (45+4).
In the second half, the Riyadh side showed character, not only equalizing but also clinching victory. Senegalese forward Sadio Mane scored a brace (74th and 90th minutes), and Saudi defender Abdulelah Al-Amri added another (77th minute).
Cristiano Ronaldo made his first start of the season for Al-Nassr. The Portuguese forward and team captain played the first half and was substituted at halftime.
The reigning Saudi champions have collected the maximum nine points and remain at the top of the standings. Al-Ettifaq, after their first defeat, sit sixth with six points.