"Not a real footballer, bring back Talisca" - Fans unhappy with Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate for his performance in Al-Nassr's 1-0 win over Damac
Al-Nassr fans were left furious with Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate Abdulrahman Ghareeb despite their side beating Damac 1-0 tonight (April 5).
Al-Alami left it late but sealed all three points in the 90+1st minute thanks to Aymeric Laporte's impressive header. The Spanish defender rose highest to bury the ball home.
Ghareeb has come into Luis Castro's side because Anderson Talisca has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh injury. The Saudi Arabian attacker has a fine record of seven goals and 10 assists in 32 games across competitions.
However, the 27-year-old came in for criticism for his showing against Damac. He should have found the back of the net in the 81st minute but hit the woodwork from three yards out after a neat cross from Ronaldo.
Ghareeb was reliable in possession as he found his man with three long ball attempts. He did struggle to take the opposition on as he won just two of six ground duels.
Cristiano Ronaldo started the game on the bench but came on in the 66th minute. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner wasn't on the scoresheet after bagging a hat-trick against Abha last time out.
However, fans hit out at Ronaldo's teammate Ghareeb after the win at Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.
One fan has had enough of the 21-cap Saudi Arabia international and wants Talisca to return
"Ghareeb is not a real footballer, bring back Talisca."
Here's how other fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Ghareeb's outing against Damac:
"Ghareeb is useless.. correct me if I'm wrong but his IQ is too low and all he got is pace," one fan wrote.
"Ghareeb actually stinks how did he miss that?" another fan asked.
"Ghareeb can't start against Hilal he's terrible," one fan insisted.
"Sell him asap," another fan demanded.
"Ghareeb sucks," one fan stated.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to Al-Nassr's win against Damac
Cristiano Ronaldo was thrilled with Al-Nassr's victory against Damac which keeps their slight title hopes alive. They trail Al-Hilal by 12 points in the Saudi Pro League title race with seven games remaining.
The Portugal captain took to Instagram after his side's win and sent a message to fans. He wrote:
"Another important win!"
Ronaldo, 39, started on the bench as Castro opted to be cautious with the Saudi Pro League's top scorer's minutes. Al-Nassr face title rivals Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semi-finals on Monday (April 8).
The Real Madrid legend will be eager to captain his side to victory on that night. It's realistically their only hope of trophy success other than an improbable turnaround in the Saudi Pro League title race.