Cristiano Ronaldo gave a show in Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese striker scored three first-half goals in his side, Al Nassr’s 3-0 victory away at Damac, in round 18 of the Saudi Professional League, where his side rose to the top with 43 points and took a two-point lead over Al Ittihad, who drew 0-0 against Al Raed on Thursday and have now lost their lead.
What he didn’t play was Augustine Rossi. The former Boca goalkeeper who joined the Saudi team on loan for six months remained on the bench and the goal was taken by Nawaf Al-Aqidi, who has just four games in the First Division.
It is the second time the Portuguese striker has scored three goals in one match since arriving in Saudi Arabia. In five games played in the league for his new team, Cristiano has already accumulated eight goals. He took four against Al Wehda and one against Al Fateh. Now three more against Damac.
Cristiano scored all three goals in twenty-six minutes of the first half. He opened the scoring in the match played at Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha after eighteen minutes by converting a penalty and signed the second five using a ball received by Sultan Al Ghanam. Ronaldo’s third goal was one at half-time from a pass from Ayman Yahya.
Too bad for Martínez, who was absent due to a serious injury
Gonzalo Martínez suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee on Wednesday. “Medical tests have revealed an injury to Pity Martinez’s anterior cruciate ligament. We wish him a speedy recovery. You’ll come back stronger, cheer up,” the Arab League club posted on social media.
River’s former number 10 was successfully operated on in Barcelona by doctor Ramón Cugat, a world specialist in the treatment of these injuries. The Argentine had come on in the 18th minute in the second half of the match against Al-Taawon, won by Al Nassr 2-1 last Friday. It was his last game with the team, his ninth so far this year.
Too bad that Martínez had managed to leave behind the injury to the external collateral ligament of his right knee that had almost stopped him in 2021, already in the Middle East.
The 29-year-old spent eight months off the pitch until he gradually regained his pace, confidence and settled back into shape.
Indeed, he was one of the standout players in Saudi’s all-star squad – formerly with Cristiano as team-mate and with Marcelo Gallardo as future manager – who faced Lionel Messi’s PSG in an international friendly in January.
Al Nassr confirmed the former Hurricane, River and Atlanta United player has an injury that will take between six and eight months to recover from
Source: Clarin
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