"Shameless, ghosted whole match", "Al Hilal own him" - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr play out 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal in SPL clash
Al-Nassr fans have slammed Cristiano Ronaldo on X after he struggled to make an impact in their 1-1 draw against rivals Al-Hilal in their Saudi Pro League clash. The two sides locked horns at Al-Awwal Park on Friday, November 1.
Anderson Talisca broke the deadlock with a good finish into the bottom-left corner in the first minute to give the Knights of Najd the lead. Ronaldo had a massive chance to double their advantage in the 73rd minute but narrowly missed his header from very close range.
Al-Hilal took full advantage of this four minutes later when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's header got them back into the game. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. hunting for a late winner, the visitors defended well to seal a crucial point.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a poor game by his standards. The 39-year-old missed one big chance, completed none of his three attempted dribbles, and lost five duels. He has now failed to register any goal contributions in his last three appearances across competitions and appears to be struggling in Stefano Pioli's system.
One fan posted:
"Shameless ghosted whole match , couldn’t win at home"
Another fan tweeted:
"Ronaldo washed, Al hilal own him"
Check out how other Al-Nassr fans reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo's performance:
"Since Ronaldo joined Al Nassr they have failed to beat Al Hilal. Talk about impact," one fan pointed out.
"Ronaldo is finished…. He’s not even bringing anything into al nassr team…" one fan commented.
"WHAT HAVE I JUST WATCHED AL NASSR IS SO S*** RONALDO PLEASE LEAVE AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE," another added.
"He’s been terrible for 2 months now we are actually cooked," one fan tweeted.
"Not gonna lie he is declining really fast, don't know if it is the new coach or the football is leaving him," another chimed in.
"I am satisfied with his performance" - Al-Nassr boss Stefano Pioli gives his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo during Al-Hilal draw
Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo did what was required of him despite blanking during their 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal. The former AC Milan boss also provided his verdict on the team's overall performance.
During the post-match press conference, he said (via @TheNassrZone):
“Today we played a good match technically and also on the fitness level, and all the players were at their best and Cristiano did what was required of him in the match and I am satisfied with his performance.”
He added:
“It was a strong match from both teams and it was an enjoyable match. What happened today is an application of the methodology we train on in training.”
“We played a good and strong match. We were closer to winning and deserved to win, but luck was not on our side. We started the game well, but we didn't finish it well.”
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr had more possession, with 51 percent of the ball. They completed 293 passes with an accuracy of 79 percent. This was nearly matched by Al-Hilal, who had 49 percent possession and completed 294 passes with an accuracy of 81 percent.
It was a game of few chances as Al-Nassr landed 10 shots in total, with three being on target (xG of 0.90). Meanwhile, Al-Hilal landed 11 shots in total, mustering three on target, with an xG of 0.93.
Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on November 2, 2024 at 2:30 AM IST. They are subject to change as per the platform's prerogative.