George Ilenikhena scores twice as Al-Ittihad defeat Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr

George Ilenikhena scored twice in the opening 22 minutes as Al-Ittihad beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr 2-1 in a thrilling Saudi Pro League meeting at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Nigeria striker was handed his first start of the league campaign and responded with a decisive display, giving Al-Ittihad control of a match regarded as one of the division’s standout early-season fixtures.

Ilenikhena was rated 8.1 by Sofascore, the highest mark awarded to a player in the match. Ronaldo received a rating of 6.7.

Al-Ittihad’s victory delivered three valuable points against an Al-Nassr side that had made a strong start to the season, although the visitors created enough chances to make the result uncomfortable for the home team.

Ilenikhena needed only four minutes to open the scoring. After Al-Ittihad applied early pressure, the Nigerian forward finished calmly to put his side in front.

He struck again in the 22nd minute, completing a ruthless opening spell and establishing a 2-0 lead before the first half had reached its midpoint.

The goals were particularly significant because Ilenikhena had previously been used mainly as a substitute. He was selected ahead of Youssef En-Nesyri for the meeting with Al-Nassr and made the opportunity count.

His recent involvement had already suggested he was becoming an important attacking option for Al-Ittihad. He scored in a 1-0 away win against Al-Qadsiah on 21 August, finding the net shortly before half-time before being substituted in the 57th minute.

Four days later, he came off the bench against Al-Hazem and played the final 30 minutes of a 3-2 victory. He was also introduced as a substitute against Al-Fateh on 29 August, when Al-Ittihad drew 0-0.

This time, however, Ilenikhena started and produced two goals inside the first 22 minutes. He had three attempts before leaving the pitch in the 66th minute, according to the supplied match statistics.

Al-Nassr reduced the deficit in the 36th minute when Angelo Gabriel scored, with Ronaldo supplying the assist.

That goal gave the visitors renewed hope, but Al-Ittihad maintained their advantage and resisted sustained pressure after the interval.

Ronaldo came close to scoring an equaliser in the 60th minute when he shot from inside the penalty area. Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic denied the Portugal captain with an important save.

Al-Nassr ended the game with 53% possession and 16 attempts, nine of them on target. Al-Ittihad managed 13 shots, with three testing the goalkeeper.

Rajkovic made eight saves in total as Al-Ittihad held on for an important win.

The result further underlined Ilenikhena’s rising influence at the club. Before facing Al-Nassr, he had scored against Al-Qadsiah and had also found the net twice against Al-Najma earlier in August. FotMob gave his performance against Al-Najma a rating of 8.9.

His latest display gives Jens Wissing another strong reason to consider him for a regular starting role, particularly after the young striker demonstrated that he could make an impact against one of the Saudi Pro League’s most expensive and experienced attacks.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, ended the match without a goal, despite setting up Angelo Gabriel’s effort.

For Ilenikhena, the victory marked a notable step forward. The Nigeria forward has moved from being viewed primarily as an impact substitute to taking centre stage in one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest fixtures.

His early goals provided the foundation for Al-Ittihad’s victory, while Rajkovic’s late saves ensured that Ronaldo and Al-Nassr could not recover. The Nigerian’s regular involvement this season, along with his goals against Al-Qadsiah and Al-Najma, also offers encouragement for Nigeria as his importance continues to grow.