WATCH: Al-Ahli fans greet Cristiano Ronaldo with applause in SPL fixture against Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo was met with applause by the hosts when he arrived at Al-Jawhara Stadium to represent Al-Nassr against Al-Ahli.
The Portuguese legend had run out to the field for his pre-match warmup, and the fans who were taking their seats for the game began to applaud him. He paused his warmup for a short moment to accept the applause from the fans, acknowledging them as can be seen in the video below:
The actual match was not particularly exciting, with few shots and no goals in the first half. Notably, both sides managed a total of 14 shots at goal, with just four shots on target between them.
Despite having the majority of the possession, Al-Nassr were unable to score from open play. However, they took home the clean sheet and helped the side win with a single goal. This is a significant improvement from their previous five games where they conceded 13 goals
One of the biggest talking points of the game was Cristiano Ronaldo's goal. He did score four minutes after the half-time whistle but it was disallowed due to the legendary striker being offside when he received the ball from Sadio Mane.
Ronaldo did, however, succeed in scoring from the penalty spot to give his team the advantage after VAR awarded a foul in the area on Sami Al-Najei, He had previously scored a penalty brace against Al-Ain, and he will be pleased to have added to the scoresheet in this match.
Ferdinand commends Dalot's progress at Manchester United, claims Cristiano Ronaldo was right
Diogo Dalot has received plaudits from Rio Ferdinand for his outstanding efforts over the course of Manchester United's challenging season. Under Erik ten Hag, the team has experienced ups and downs, contending for a top-four finish but also having difficulty in the Champions League.
Despite these difficulties, Ferdinand gave Dalot extra recognition on his Vibe with Five podcast because of the way the full-back has developed. The Manchester United icon said (via Football 365):
“Dalot needs a special mention. He is someone I doubted early on. I remember speaking to Cristiano Ronaldo and said, ‘Is he really that good?’ – and Cristiano said he will work hard, make himself better and 100 percent improve. He saw it behind the scenes so he knew that."
Manchester United have struggled this season, particularly in their efforts to secure a strong Premier League position and in the Champions League. Dalot has appeared in 26 league games for the Manchester outfit this season, scoring a goal in the process.