Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang outshines Cristiano Ronaldo! Ex-Arsenal ace hands Al-Qadsiah huge win over Al-Nassr after Portugal megastar goes missing alongside £64.5m strike partner Jhon Duran

Al-Nassr and Al-Qadisiyah have been stuck in a battle for the third spot in the standings of the Saudi Pro League, which is the last qualifying place for AFC Champions League, for the last couple of months.

Al-Qadsiyah started the game off in dominant style at Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium as they managed to handle Al-Nassr's progress despite Faris Najd having more possession. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had the first big chance of the game as he struck a powerful shot from 30 yards that barely missed the goal before Turki Al-Ammar and Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat forced Bento into two saves. However, the home side soon got their very well-deserved opening goal as Aubameyang's shot was saved by Al-Nassr's Portuguese keeper before Al-Ammar struck on the rebound to give Al-Qadsiyah a first-half lead.

Al-Nassr then looked to be gaining some steam finally after the start of the second half, however, Michel's side were defensively solid and barely let Cristiano Ronaldo and Jhon Duran test goalkeeper Koen Casteels. Duran had two chances to get through on Al-Qadsiyah's goal but he failed to get his footing right on both instances and halted what looked like promising attacks. Despite Michel's side's strong defence, Al-Nassr found their perfect opportunity to equalize when Sadio Mane got onto Otavio's ball in behind to score the equalizer. However, the game had yet another twist in store as Aubameyang scored in the 86th minute to cut the gap to Nassr to two points.

Al-Qadsiyah have been a surprise this season in the Saudi Pro League as the only team in the SPL to look challenging despite not being backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). However, the side have made smart signings and one of those was the appointment of former Real Madrid star Michel as their head coach. The Spaniard's side have played some of the best football this season, and they did exactly that against Al-Nassr as they managed the game well and only conceded late in the game thanks to Otavio's wonderful ball and Mane's perfect touch.

Pioli was simply outclassed tactically in the match against Al-Qadsiyah, as Faris Najd completely failed to break down Michel's tactical setup throughout the game. Pioli's future at the club has often been questioned as Al-Nassr have relied completely on individual efforts rather than technical excellence, and the same was the case at Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium on Friday. While the players were not in the best of touch either, Pioli's slow reaction to Al-Qadsiyah's setup.

The gap between Al-Qadsiyah, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli is now back down to two points for the final AFC Champions League qualification spot, and with six games remaining until the end of the season. Al-Nassr will be in action next when they take on Damac on Tuesday, April 22.