Although Neymar suffered a serious injury with a torn cruciate ligament, Riyadh Crescent is still invincible and is at the top of the league standings. On this match day, Riyadh Crescent beat Abha with a score of 7-0, and expanded the difference to 13 points. After the start of the game, Riyadh Victory completely suppressed the opponent, Cristiano Ronaldo made a pass, Telles and Brozovic each made a goal, 3-1 victory, avenging the first leg 1-2 defeat.
In a 4-2-3-1 system, Cristiano Ronaldo, Talisca, Otavio and Sadio Mane formed the front line, with Brozovic and Fofana in the middle, and Laporte and Telles in defence.
Dammam Synergy is a little less powerful but still has a number of big players, with Gerrard continuing to play in a 3-4-2-1 configuration, Moussa Dembele as the lone arrow, Wijnaldum, Henderson and Justin Quaissen all in action.
As the referee's whistle blew, Riyadh Victory, who were playing at home, quickly showed their attacking ability in a higher gear, completing 11 shots in the first 45 minutes compared to 0!
In the 10th minute, Ronaldo's small-angle free kick from the left side of the front field hit the goal directly, the ball spun to the upper left corner of the goal, and Victor flew to save the ball. In the 14th minute, Fofana counter-attacked and Mane stepped in to get there, but the goalkeeper fired a shot wide of the post and missed a great chance.
In the 34th minute, Hanam's cross from the right flank, Ronaldo shook his head and attacked the goal vigorously, but it was saved by Victor, and Riyadh Victory missed a good opportunity again.
In the 39th minute, Ronaldo broke through on the left side and crossed after shaking off the opponent, the power and landing point were very good, but it was a pity that Talisca's header was deflected.
Three minutes later, Riyadh Victory was the first to break the deadlock: Hanam's cross from the right was cleared, Telles met the ball from outside the box and volleyed the ball into an earth-shattering world wave, the ball hung straight into the top left corner of the goal, 1-0!
With Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Talisca all missing their chances, Telles showed the attributes of a knife-forward defender to help Riyadh Victory return to the dressing room with a one-goal advantage. After returning to the pitch, Riyadh Victory was not satisfied with a one-goal advantage and continued to strengthen the attack.
In the 59th minute, Brozovic crossed from a corner kick, the opposing defender made a mistake in clearing the header and headed towards his own goal, Ronaldo made a knife in front of the goal, and the volley from a small angle was saved. However, one minute later, Brozovic made a mistake in front of the opponent, and then he received a header from Cristiano Ronaldo and swept in front of the goal to score his first goal in the Saudi league, and Riyadh won 2-0 to establish an advantage. In the 66th minute, Mane's straight plug at the edge of the penalty area was quite in place, and Ronaldo turned and volleyed too positively.
In the 72nd minute, Mane broke down the left flank, and the opposing defender touched the ball with his hand while defending, and the referee pointed to the 12-yard point. Then Ronaldo hit the bottom left corner and completed the pass, 3-0. It was also Ronaldo's 17th league goal of the season, leading the scorers list alone. In addition, Ronaldo's tally of goals in 2023 has reached 51, thus surpassing Haaland and second only to Kane and Mbappe with 52 goals.
In the 78th minute, Talisca took a direct free kick wide. With 3 goals in hand, Riyadh Victory was somewhat relaxedIn the 85th minute, Wijnaldum crossed, and Kuvikibi scored at the back point to pull one back for Dammam, 1-3!
With a 3-1 win over Dammam Synergy, Riyadh Victory held on to second place in the standings, with 10 points left on the top crescent with one less game, and the title prospect remains grim.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo, who played a good pass, set two records:
First, Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player in history to be directly involved in 500 goals (407 goals, 94 assists) even after the age of 30.
Second, Cristiano Ronaldo unlocked the 870th official goal of his career, and he is getting closer and closer to 900 goals.