The intensity did take a drop in the second half, with Al Nassr visibly reducing the intensity of its pressing and slowing down the pace of the match from the 60th-minute mark and ultimately, it only had two goals to show for its overall dominance over defending champion Al Ittihad.
It was a happy day for the Al Nassr forward line with Ronaldo and Mane finding the net, but one can’t blame Joao Felix, who had a couple of chances from close distance, if he makes the journey back to Riyadh a bit frustrated that he could not find himself among the goals.
For Ittihad, it was a classic case of having more of the ball (55 per cent) but not doing enough with it. It could have come back in the first half itself, given Bergwijn had a couple of brilliant chances. In the second, barring patches where it looked like it could threaten the Al Nassr defence, it was a feeble home display from Laurent Blanc’s men.
This loss ends its 19-game unbeaten streak at home.