Cristiano Ronaldo has had a rough couple of games in the Saudi Pro League since last week. The Al-Nassr superstar returned from a one-match ban for the game against Al-Ain, but failed to motivate his side to a win.
As the No.7 drew blanks after a run of four games, his side fell 1-0 to the UAE Pro League club. Fans, who’ve seemingly figured out the 39-year-old’s ‘weakness’ made every effort to rile up the player after failing to impress on Monday night.
Al-Nassr and Ronaldo were underwhelming against Al-Ain as the Faris Najd lost 1-0 in the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarter-final. Ronaldo, who was banned for a game for making an obscene gesture at the crowd, was provoked in a similar fashion by the home fans. ‘Messi, Messi, Messi!‘ chanted the crowd as the Saudi Pro League superstar painted a solitary picture of himself on the turf. This time however, the Al-Nassr captain showed restraint and walked down the tunnel without a reaction.
In another video, Ronaldo was seen animatedly reacting to a refereeing decision. His side committed 12 fouls while the opposition’s numbers were nearly double. His frustration was evident from his body language as well, and was seen shaking his head in disapproval of the team’s performance at half-time.
The No.7 could only manage two shots on target and also missed a big chance to pull his team level.
Cristiano Ronaldo and co. fail to impress as AFC Champions League elimination looms on the horizon
The crowd at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium was witness to a rather cagey encounter on Monday. With a total of 24 fouls committed in the span of ninety minutes, the Faris Najd were thoroughly frustrated in a ‘stop start’ game. While Al-Nassr shared the greater portion of attacking statistics, it was Al-Ain, in a swift turn of play, found space in front of the box.
As Kaku fed the ball into the area, Soufiane Rahimi exquisitely finished the play, guiding the ball past Al-Nassr keeper David Ospina. Ronaldo’s involvement was limited to an unbelievable ‘miss’ from point black range. Ronaldo also attempted a bicycle kick early on in the first half, which, to his fans’ dismay, failed to find the target.
Following the loss, Al-Nassr now have to deal with a one-goal deficit going into the second leg of the competition. After an impressive campaign in the group stages, an early exit in the competition would be underwhelming to their season. To add to that, Al-Hilal have been pulling away at the top of the Saudi Pro League, and with a nine-point gap at the top, the Faris Najd are looking down the barrel of going another season without a league trophy.
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