Sadio Mane celebrated a Al-Nassr goal by jumping on former Liverpool teammate turned opponent Roberto Firmino during their dramatic win over Al-Ahli.
The two ex-Reds established a formidable partnership during their careers on Merseyside, alongside Mohamed Salah, as they fired Liverpool to European and domestic success.
Salah, Mane and Firmino became one of the most feared trios in the world during the rise of Jurgen Klopp’s side to the Champions League, Club World Cup and Premier League summits.
Mane left Liverpool for his ill-fated move to Bayern Munich last season but saw his time end in the summer after a turbulent spell in Bavaria. He would join up with former rival Cristiano Ronaldo – who too ended a miserable spell with Manchester United – for success in Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring as he fired low into a plume of yellow smoke before Talisca doubled the scoring just 13 minutes later. Talisca got his second of the evening in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.
The Brazilian expertly crafted Nassr’s third goal, restoring a two-goal cushion after former Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie halved the deficit, to curl into the top corner.
Mane won the ball back and sparked the move which ended with the superb strike. And camera footage at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium captured the Senegalese star ruthlessly jumping on Firmino’s back after moving into a 3-1 lead.
The Ahli captain Firmino was scolding his teammates after Talisca’s second goal but the Brazilian didn’t look too pleased with the reaction from his former Liverpool teammate, who had leapt on his back.
Firmino emotionally ended his eight-year association with Liverpool in the summer as he turned down the opportunity to extend his career at Anfield, leaving on a free when his contract expired in July.
As a result, he became one of the first high-profile arrivals in the kingdom this summer, joining Ahli who have since moved to acquire Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City and Newcastle United attacker Alan Saint-Maximin.