Joao Felix starred on his Saudi Pro League debut for Al-Nassr, scoring a hat-trick in a resounding win 5-0 over Al-Taawoun.
Felix opens scoring and adds powerful effortCompletes hat-trick with bizarre final goalCR7 scores from the spot and Coman nets with headerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱TELL ME MORE
Al-Nassr quickly got into their groove, with new signings Felix and Kingsley Coman linking up nicely with Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in attack. Felix's opener was coolly taken. The Portuguese turned an Angelo cut-back into the far corner with a sweeping curved effort that nestled perfectly in the bottom corner.
Al-Taawoun struggled to gain much of a foothold in the game, as their vaunted opponents controlled possession. Coman almost doubled the lead halfway through the first half, when he smartly controlled and turned in the box before firing into the side netting. Mane's low driven effort on the stroke of half-time brought a smart save out of Abdulquddus Atiah in the Al-Taawoun net.
Any chance of Al-Nassr wasting their dominance was quickly quashed, as a handball by Waleed Al-Ahmed resulted in a penalty for the away team. Inevitably, Ronaldo stepped up and buried the spot kick in the bottom left corner. The lead was extended almost instantly when Al-Taawoun allowed a long ball over the top from Nawaf Alqaidi to bounce, leaving Coman to loop a header over Atiah and just under the crossbar.
Felix added his second in the 66th minute, running on to a pass by Mane, controlling and blasting a rasping effort into the top corner from the edge of the box. Minutes later, Angelo almost added a belter of his own, clanging the woodwork with a powerful shot from all of 35 yards.
Just as it seemed the game was meandering to a conclusion, Felix completed his hat-trick. Ronaldo's cross-cum-shot took a looping deflection, cannoned off the bar and fell at his compatriot's feet. Felix almost butchered the opportunity with his nonchalance, taking a relaxed flick at the ball which was very nearly cleared off the line. The referee's watch confirmed the ball had crossed the line.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE MVP
Either of Al-Nassr's attacking recruits could have taken this gong on their league debut, but it's hard to look past Joao Felix's hat-trick. The second was a moment of real class. After years of false starts, a successful debut will do the Portuguese attacker the world of good.
THE BIG LOSER
Waleed Al-Ahmed suffered through a nightmare three-minute period at the start of the second half, conceding an unlucky penalty before watching Coman ghost in behind him on a route one pass for another Al-Nassr goal.
Getty Images SportWHAT COMES NEXT?
Al-Nassr will hope to continue their winning ways when they take on Al-Kholood after the international break.
