"It is a great honor for me to have my name associated with Cristiano Ronaldo" - Al Nassr star opens up on playing alongside the Portugal star
Al-Nassr forward Abdulrahman Ghareeb recently talked about the experience of playing alongside five time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Ghareeb claimed that it's a great honor for him to be associated with the Portuguese striker.
The Saudi Arabian attacker further added that it can be difficult to play alongside Ronaldo at times as one has to anticipate his moves. Speaking to the media after Al-Nassr's 3-2 win against Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League, Ghareeb said:
"It's a great honor for me to have my name associated with Cristiano Ronaldo. Playing with him is very difficult. You have to expect his every move, everything he can do."
عبدالرحمن غريب :
"شرف كبير لي أن يرتبط اسمي مع كريستيانو رونالدو ، اللعب معه صعب جدًا ، لازم تتوقع كل تحركاته وتتوقع كل شي ممكن يسويه ." https://t.co/1S0cJEKzsP
Al-Nassr found themselves trailing by two goals in the first half against Al-Shabab. Cristian Guanca scored a first half brace, a penalty in the 25th minute and a spectacular second goal five minutes from half-time.
Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca scored with a beautiful first time finish to make it 2-1 in the 44th minute. Six minutes into the second half, Ghareeb equalized as he fired the ball into the bottom corner after a sharp turn inside the penalty area.
Ronaldo scored a majestic goal in the 59th minute to give his team the lead. The Portuguese striker brushed aside two defenders before finding the back of the net with a curler from outside the box. He has now scored 14 goals and provided two assists since making his debut for the Riyadh-based team in January.
With the win, Al-Nassr kept the pressure on league leaders Al-Ittihad, who defeated Al-Batin 1-0 in their Saudi Pro League clash. Romarinho scored in the ninth minute for Nuno Espirito Santo's team.
Al-Nassr have 63 points from 28 matches and are now trailing Al-Ittihad by three points.
What's next for Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr?
Al-Nassr will return to action on May 27 as interim manager Dinko Jelicic's side take on Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. need to secure a victory to keep their hopes of a league title alive.
With Ronaldo firing on all cylinders, Jelicic can rely on his team's attack to provide the goals. The 38-year-old has now scored in two consecutive games and will be hoping to continue the run against Al-Ettifaq.
Al-Nassr's only hope of winning a trophy this season is the Saudi Pro League after they were knocked out of the Saudi Super Cup and the King Cup of Champions. They will be hoping for an Al-Ittihad slip-up in their final two games of the season.