"Needs to retire from football", "Total waste" - Fans unhappy with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate after draw against Al-Kholood
Al-Nassr fans have slammed Sadio Mane on X after they were held to a 3-3 draw against Al-Kholood in Cristiano Ronaldo's absence. The two sides faced each other in their Saudi Pro League clash at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Friday, October 25.
Stefano Pioli opted to rest Cristiano Ronaldo amid the Knights of Najd's upcoming busy schedule. Al-Nassr evidently felt his absence as Al-Kholood took an early lead via Myziane Maolida's 12th-minute strike. Aymeric Laporte headed home four minutes later to level the scores, scoring his fourth consecutive goal in as many games for club and country in the process.
Anderson Talisca gave Al-Nassr the lead in the 24th minute with a good finish. However, Maolida netted from outside the box four minutes later to make it 2-2. Cristiano Ronaldo's side were further dealt a blow when Laporte was subbed off due to an injury in the 35th minute.
Jackson Muleka scored from close range to give Al-Kholood the lead in the 71st minute. However, the newly promoted SPL side were unable to hold their lead, conceding a penalty late on. Talisca (90+5') converted it to ensure both sides emerged with a point.
Sadio Mane struggled to lead the line, registering zero goal contributions. The former Liverpool winger created zero chances, completed 23 passes from 35 attempts with an accuracy of 66 percent, missed two big chances, and lost eight duels.
Fans reacted to his performance on X, as one posted:
"Sadio Mane need to retire from football"
Another fan tweeted:
"Sack Mane he’s a total waste he not a good main fielder buy better players"
Check out how other fans reacted below:
"Sadio mane 2 dribbles in 8 mins and its minute 81 and still at 2…," one fan pointed out
"Banter aside mane has been a disappointment so far in Saudi," one fan commented
"Mane should have been rested ffs," another added
"He’s soo washed," another tweeted
How did Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr fare in their 3-3 draw against Al-Kholood?
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr's title aspirations were dealt a severe blow as they were held to a frustrating 3-3 draw against Al-Kholood. They are currently third in the league table with 18 points from eight games, three points behind Al-Hilal, who have a game in hand.
Pioli and Co. dominated possession with 67 percent of the ball. They completed 529 passes with an accuracy of 87 percent. In comparison, Al-Kholood had 33 percent possession, completing 239 passes with an accuracy of 78 percent.
Al-Nassr also looked more threatening up front, attempting 18 shots in total with eight being on target. They struck the woodwork twice and had an xG of 2.87. However, their defense wasn't as strong, as the hosts landed 10 shots in total with seven being on target (xG of 1.70).
Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on 25th October 2024 at 11 PM IST. They are subject to change as per the platform's prerogative.