"Al Hilal winning on Monday", "Castro is a fraud manager for subbing Ronaldo" - Fans react as Al-Nassr defeat Damac 1-0 in SPL fixture
Al-Nassr fans were divided after the side grabbed a 1-0 win against Damac in the Saudi Pro League on Friday (April 5). Centre-back Aymeric Laporte netted a late winner in 90+1 minute for the Riyadh-based club.
While some fans thanked Laporte for getting them the win, most were furious with the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo was absent from the starting XI.
Al-Nassr will face Al Hilal in the semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup on Monday, April 8. It is considered by many to be one of the most important matches for the club this season. However, a lot of fans do not seem confident about their side's chances after the game against Damac and have even criticized manager Luis Castro for benching the Portuguese icon.
Fans flooded social media with their thoughts and expressed their outrage. Here is a collection of their posts on X:
"Al hilal winning on Monday," a fan wrote.
"Castro is a fraud manager for subbing Ronaldo in both last games. If they lose vs al hilal he needs to get sacked," another user said.
Here are a few more reactions:
One fan wrote:
"Job done , now onto the most imp match left this season on Monday , if we lose that Bye bye trophies this season"
Another added:
"Hilal will thrash us on 8th"
One fan blamed the manager and wrote:
"Luis Castro deliberately ended Ronaldo's goal/hattrick streak by "resting" him. Nonsense."
While another said:
"Laporte save Al nassr."
"When someone is in form & super high in confidence you don’t bring that down & put them on the bench! Lesson for next time!," one account posted.
Another fan said:
"Strike the iron when it is hot" if you let it cool down you have to heat it again and it takes lots of time. Hope this didn't affect Cristiano."
A user wrote:
"This fraud Castro"
While another fan posted:
"Apparently Castro has shamelessly given up on the league title already ,what is he doing."
Al-Nassr's current standing in the Saudi Pro League
Al-Nassr stand second in the Saudi Pro League with 65 points in 27 matches. They have one loss and four wins in the last five league games. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 65th career hat-trick during his side's 8-0 win against Abha on April 2.
As this season of the Saudi Pro League nears its end, every match is crucial for Ronaldo's side, who have a 12-point difference with Al Hilal.
On May 1, Al-Nassr will play against Al-Khaleej in the semi-final of the King Cup of Champions. The other semifinalists are Al-Ittihad and Al Hilal, who will face each other on April 30.