- Ronaldo, the top scorer in the Saudi Professional League, was sent off
- Mane took the penalty kick to help the team win easily 5-1.
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Cristiano Ronaldo was absent from Al-Nassr’s game on Monday night but they eased past Ohod in the Copa del Rey, winning 5-1.
The Saudi Pro League’s top scorer was given a game’s rest in the cup and his side did not miss the Portuguese star as they held on to a five-point win despite an early scare .
Despite Ronaldo’s absence, Al Nasr named a squad featuring a number of high-profile stars, including former Premier League players Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles and Sadio Mane.
Ohoud, who plays for the second tier of the Saudi Arabian Football Pyramid, tied their opponents in the first half, but the second half was too much for them and the professional league team fell into turmoil.
Mane opened the scoring in the game, with Seko Fofana, Talisca, Ayman Yahya and Sami Nagy also scoring for the team.
In the first 10 minutes of the game, Mane almost scored when he caught Talisca’s shot, but when Abdulrahman Gharib was tripped by Abdulrahman Haibari, Mane got the ball. Goal scoring opportunities.
The former Liverpool man made no mistake, firing low into the bottom left corner in the 16th minute to give his side a deserved lead and continue his fine start in the Middle East.
The lead did not last long, however, as Konrad Michalak leveled the score with a long ball past Nawaf Alaqidi, sparking jubilant celebrations from the hosts.
However, in the second half, Nasri fired a beautiful shot from outside the Fofana penalty area to make it 2-1 just after the hour mark.
Talisca’s header ended the game before Yahya and Sami Alnagy completed the scoring to ensure the team stayed in the next round, having reached the semi-finals last year.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is likely to return to the squad for the weekend’s game against Altay after being rested on Monday.
The striker has scored nine goals this season, winning each of his side’s last five games after suffering consecutive defeats at the start of the campaign.