Aymeric Laporte rescues Cristiano Ronaldo & Co! Centre-back emerges as unlikely hero for disappointing Al-Nassr as their Saudi Pro League title hopes suffer another blow

Al-Nassr were looking to carry forward their momentum from the 3-1 win over Al-Akhdoud and they were indeed the dominant force in the first quarter of the match. However, as the match progressed, the hosts started to up the ante and increase their influence on the proceedings.

Cristiano Ronaldo was bottled up by the two central defenders and the Portuguese was forced to drop deep frequently to get more touches on the ball. And just at the stroke of half-time, the 39-year-old cut a frustrated figure as Saad Fahad Al Nasser drew first blood with the defensive line caught napping. The left-back went on the overlap and a teasing cross from Fahad Al-Jumayah escaped the entire Al-Nassr defence to land kindly at his feet, and Nasser did the rest.

Stefano Pioli's men turned up the heat in the second half, showing more precision and purpose in the attacking third. Angelo Gabriel was introduced, replacing Abdulrahman Ghareeb, and the substitution proved a game-changer. He proved to be a menace on the right flank with his probing crosses and in the 64th minute, Aymeric Laporte got his head to one of those deliveries to erase the deficit.

In the final quarter, Al-Taawoun started defending with two blocks of five and four in an attempt to shut down Ronaldo and Sadio Mane. Although Al-Nassr continued to enjoy possession in the opposition half, goal scoring opportunities came at a premium as they lacked the cutting edge in front of goal. They are now 11 points behind leaders Al-Hilal and are fourth in the league table, which means they are outside the qualification criteria for the AFC Champions League Elite division.

Angelo was the only bright spark in a rather lacklustre Al-Nassr side. The 20-year-old tried to make things happen with his skill and confidence on a day when the big guns fell deafeningly silent. It was one peach of an assist for Laporte's goal and if his strikers were a bit more clinical the scoreline could have been different.

Al-Nassr's brittle defence was once again exposed by Al-Taawoun. Nawaf Boushal couldn't stop the cross from being delivered, Mohamed Simakan was beaten by his marker, whereas, Sultan Al-Ghannam had little idea that Nasser had been lurking behind him during the opener. Going ahead, Pioli must fix his defensive problems if they are going to challenge for the AFC Champions League with the domestic league title already seeming like a distant dream.

After this disappointing draw, Al-Nassr will be back in action against Al-Khaleej on Tuesday in their next league encounter.