On a dazzling Friday, Sadio Mané shone alongside Cristiano Ronaldo to propel Al-Nassr to an emphatic 5-0 victory over Al-Fateh on Matchday 3 of the Saudi Pro League. The Senegalese international (97 caps, 37 goals) celebrated his brace with the iconic "SIUUU" gesture made famous by CR7.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats to Al-Ettifaq (2-1) and Al-Taawoun (0-2) at the start of the league campaign, Al-Nassr needed a win against Al-Fateh on Friday to get their campaign back on track and avoid a possible mini-crisis. And there is no denying that the men in yellow and black rose to the challenge with flying colours. Led by a scintillating Cristiano Ronaldo and an in-form Sadio Mané, the Riyadh side - who saw new signings Otavio and Aymeric Laporte make their debuts - made light work of their opponents on the night, securing their first league win of the season.
Sadio Mané adopts Ronaldo's Celebration The first to start the festivities was Sadio Mané. The Senegalese winger benefited from a delicate back-heel from Cristiano Ronaldo in the middle of the park, before delightfully lobbing the opposition goalkeeper (0-1, 27ᵉ minutes). Late in the game, after CR7 had already taken charge with a brace (38ᵉ, 55ᵉ), Mané emulated the Portuguese with a precise cross-header following Abdulrahman Ghareeb's fine pass from the left flank (0-4, 81ᵉ). It was his first-ever brace for Al-Nassr, and his first in all competitions since the 2-4 win over Senegal on 20 June. To cap off the evening, he wore Cristiano Ronaldo's famous "SIUUU" celebration, sharing a moment of communion with Ronaldo and the crowd. The hat-trick at the very end of the match by the five-time Ballon d'Or winner (0-5, 90ᵉ+5) will only be remembered as an anecdote.
Having already scored on the opening day, Sadio Mané now has three goals in as many Saudi Pro League matches. His next game against Al-Shabab on Tuesday will be another opportunity to add to his tally.
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