Al Nassr have suffered a back-to-back defeat since the 2023/2024 Saudi Arabia Pro League kick-off.
The current Arab Club Champions are yet to secure a victory in the League this season following their 2-0 loss to Al Taawoun on Friday, 18th of August.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates were successful in the Arab Club Champions Cup tournament after they won their first piece of silverware since Ronaldo joined the club in December.
However, things are not going according to plan in the Saudi Pro League for the last season’s runner-up.
The Saudi Arabia outfit have been busy in the transfer market since January after they secured the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo following his dramatic departure from Manchester United.
During this ongoing transfer window, former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has also joined their team as well as Alex Telles, and Marcelo Brozovic.
Meanwhile, Al Nassr’s new league season got off to a low start as they lost 2-1 to Al Ettifaq led by Steven Gerrard.
Steven Gerrard Al-Ettifaq’s 2-0 victory over Al-Hazem helped them keep their perfect record this season.
But as for Al Nassr, their situation worsened on Friday night when Ronaldo and his teammates failed to defeat Al Taawoun at home.
Al Nassr vs Al Taawoun in brief
The game got off to a decent start. With just a few minutes left, Ronaldo entertained the crowd with his signature stepovers and forced Brazilian goalkeeper Mailson to dive to stop a low shot from outside the box.
Al-Taawoun had several opportunities, but the hosts put the most pressure on them.
Al-Nassr believed they had been granted a lifeline towards the end of the first half when Fofana went down in the area and the referee pointed to the spot.
But the official altered his mind after consulting the video assistant referee, and for good reason.
Leandre Tawamba scored the first goal against Al Taawoun after 20 minutes, and Ahmed Bahusayn clinched the victory in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time in the presence of their supporters in Riyadh.
In the second half, the home team continued to attack, and an Anderson Talisca header forced his countryman Mailson to make a superb diving stop.
Al-Nassr had ramped up the pace and was able to almost effortlessly penetrate the Al-Taawoun defense, but they were still unable to produce obvious openings.
Ronaldo repeatedly motioned for the crowd to yell louder, but his teammates were unable to contribute by providing the crowd with something to yell about.
They are still winless in the Saudi Pro League and are now just one defeat away from matching their previous season’s losing streak.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates have now played two games and lost two of the matches at the start of a season that held so much promise.
Although it is still early, the title contenders may find themselves six points behind competitors like Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad by Saturday night, the 19th of August. Pressure will be applied in earnest if the gap widens any further.
Al Nassr finished the 2022–23 season with a record of 20 victories, seven draws, and three losses, and ended up losing the league title to Al Ittihad.
Ronaldo, one of the most recognizable figures in the world of football, excelled in his first half-season with Al Nassr by scoring 14 goals.
His efforts in the Arab Club Champions Cup earned him six goals in the tournament to win the golden boot.
What’s next for Al Nassr?
Al Nassr’s next match is in the AFC Champions League against the Dubai team Shabab Al Ahli, and they will be eager to get back to winning ways.
