Former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Al Nassr to a victory in his debut after joining the Saudi Arabia club in one of the most expensive deals in history.
Ronaldo failed to play in Al Nassr’s last two matches after he was given a two-match ban for kicking off a kid’s phone while at Manchester United.
After the ban, he is back in the starting lineup and has inspired his team to a win even without scoring a goal.
Ronaldo was happy throughout the game and didn’t look frustrated in the match compared to his previous tenure at Manchester United.
In the first half, Ronaldo went for a header, but he was brought down by the Al Ettifaq defenders, who brought him down in the penalty box.
No penalty was given as the referee waved play on. In the 53rd minute, the player had an ambitious shot from 12 yards, but it didn’t trouble the opponent’s goalkeeper.
Ronaldo does not look like a 37-year-old player, and when he tried a bicycle kick in the 73rd minute, the player missed the volley, which resulted in a foul.
Ronaldo was the most active in the attack, and Al Nassr manager Rudi Garcia would love for him to continue playing at that pace.
Ronaldo showed good sportsmanship by deciding to shake hands with his teammates. It was a different environment from Manchester United’s surroundings.
However, Al Nassr’s three points came from Anderson Talisca, who was the star player throughout the encounter.
Al-Ettifaq had only one shot on target and failed to threaten Al-Nassr even though first-team goalkeeper David Ospina is out due to an injury.
Al Nassr currently sits atop the table with 33 points from 14 matches.
Why Cristiano Ronaldo still remains on top of his game
The player has been proving doubters wrong even though he failed to win a single trophy last season. Ronaldo put behind the criticism he has received from fans who abused him for moving to Saudi Arabia.
The striker had personal issues but didn’t allow that to weigh him down. He scored two goals in a friendly game against PSG and would continue to impress just to stay on top of the game.
What Next For Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo is likely to reach his first final with his new club, Al Nassr, when they play against Al Ittihad in the Saudi Arabia Super Cup on January 26, 2023. The Portuguese are also in contention to score their first goal domestic goal for his new club.
His ambition will always be to win titles every where he goes and the possibility of doing that at Al Nassr is very high.
His performance was exceptional on Sunday night, and he hopes to continue with the momentum due to the support he receives from Al Nassr fans throughout the game.
