"Cristiano saved us", "Messi will be retired at 39" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr beat Al-Feiha in first-leg of AFC CL last 16 tie
Fans have reignited the GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after the former netted a late winner as Al-Nassr beat Al-Feiha 1-0 in the AFC Champions League.
Luis Castro's men prevailed in the first leg of their AFC Champions League last-16 clash on Wednesday (February 14). It looked as though the two Saudi Pro League sides were headed for a draw at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. That was until Ronaldo popped up with an 81st-minute strike to score his first goal of 2024.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner played a neat one-two with Marcelo Brozovic before volleying the ball past Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic. It was an excellent finish from the legendary forward and he produced a new celebration to boot.
Cristiano Ronaldo could've opened the scoring earlier when he went close in the 45+1st minute. The Portugal captain pounced on a loose ball in the box and was allowed to take several touches before his shot was superbly saved by Vladimir Stojkovic.
The five-time UEFA Champions League winner had another opportunity in the 64th minute. He once again linked up with Brozovic but sent a header straight at Stojkovic as Al-Nassr struggled to get past Al-Feiha's resolute defense.
The hosts then had a goal ruled out four minutes later when Zambian forward Fashion Sakala had the ball in the back of the net. The 26-year-old was found by Henry Onyekuru but the Nigerian winger was in an offside position.
The two sides looked to be about to settle on a stalemate before Ronaldo struck late on. His goal means Al-Nassr take a 1-0 advantage back to KSU Stadium for the second leg on Wednesday (February 21).
One fan made a bold claim about Messi, 36, while hailing Cristiano Ronaldo:
"Messi will be retired at 39 whilst Ronaldo will be lifting the AFC champions league."
Another fan insisted the 39-year-old spared Castro's side's blushes:
"Mid team performance, Cristiano saved us."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo's winner giving Al-Alami the win:
Dani Carvajal refuses to choose between Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo and his longtime rival Lionel Messi
Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal has become the latest footballing name to enter the debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. The Spaniard refused to separate the iconic duo (via GOAL):
"Messi or Ronaldo? I put them on the same level. I don’t prefer one over the other. They are monsters in every sense of the word, and I could not choose neither this, nor that. I think they are very different."
Cristiano Ronaldo spent several years playing alongside Carvajal at Madrid. The Portuguese icon is the La Liga giants' all-time record goalscorer with 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 appearances at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Al-Nassr captain spent his entire spell with Los Blancos going toe-to-toe with his biggest rival Messi. The pair dominated European football for two decades, competing for the honor of being named the world's best player.
Messi was just as impressive during his time at Barcelona, becoming the Blaugrana's all-time record goalscorer. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner managed 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games at Camp Nou.
Both have now left European football with the Portuguese great joining Al-Nassr in January 2023. He's lit up the Saudi Pro League with 39 goals and 13 assists in 45 games across competitions since his arrival.
Meanwhile, the 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning Argentina captain headed to Inter Miami this past summer. He's made a mesmerizing start to life in the MLS, with 11 goals and five assists in 14 games across competitions.