"Please win the game", "Getting Atleti vibes" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo leads Al-Nassr against Al-Ain in AFC Champions League game
Al-Nassr fans expect a masterclass from Cristiano Ronaldo in their side's AFC Champions League quarterfinal second-leg clash with Al-Ain today (March 11).
Luis Castro's men need to turn things around as they are losing 1-0 on aggregate from the first leg. Ronaldo played in that game but couldn't inspire his side to victory and Aymeric Laporte's sending-off made matters worse.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be eager to get revenge over Al-Ain and help Al-Nassr advance to the AFC Champions League semifinals. He's carved out a career of clutch moments and his club need him to pull out such a performance tonight.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner leads the line for Al-Alami as he looks to continue his red-hot form. He's struck 28 goals and 11 assists in 31 games across competitions, including five goals in seven AFC Champions League games.
Ronaldo is joined in Al-Nassr's attack by Sadio Mane, Otavio, and Saudi Arabian winger Abdulrahman Ghareeb.
Marcelo Brozovic is selected in midfield and the former Inter Milan partners Saudi holding midfielder Abdullah Al-Khaibari.
Laporte's red card from the first leg means the former Manchester City star misses out.
Castro has started Saudi defensive trio Ali Lajami, Mohammed Al-Fatil, and Abdulelah Al-Amri in defense with Ronaldo's Portugal teammate Alex Telles.
Saudi goalkeeper Raghed Al-Najjar is in goal as Al-Nassr look to stage a turnaround at Al-Awwal Stadium tonight.
Ronaldo's name is synonymous with the UEFA Champions League a competition he won on five occasions. One of his most iconic performances was his hat-trick in Juventus' 3-0 (3-2 aggregate) comeback win against Atletico Madrid in the last 16 in 2019.
One fan alluded to this:
"We are getting the Atleti vibe today again bro."
Another fan just wants Castro's side to advance to the semifinals:
"Please win the game today good luck."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Castro's Al-Nassr team to face Al-Ain with Cristiano Ronaldo spearheading his attack:
Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo on his famous hat-trick in Juventus' comeback win vs Atletico Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo never won the UEFA Champions League during his time at Juventus. He became the first player in history to win Europe's elite club competition five times while at Real Madrid.
However, Ronaldo was able to pour misery on his longtime rivals even after leaving the Santiago Bernabeu. His hat-trick is deemed as one of his best displays and with good reason.
It helped Juve come back from a 2-0 defeat in the first leg and Atletico fans were mocking Ronaldo heading into the game. He hit back in the best way possible by knocking them out of the UEFA Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo explained after the game that he was signed by the Old Lady for this type of challenge (via Football Italia):
"This is why Juve brought me in, to help on magic nights like this. Atleti are a really tough team to face, but we are strong too and proved we deserved to go through."
The iconic forward left Europe in January 2023 after winning titles in Spain, Italy, and England. He is the UEFA Champions League's all-time top scorer with 140 goals in 183 games.