Fans are mocking Cristiano Ronaldo after Al Nassr were knocked out of the Saudi Super Cup by Al Ittihad on Thursday (January 26). Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ran out 3-1 winners on the night at the King Fahd International Stadium.
Romarinho and Abderrazak Hamdallah were on the scoresheet for Al-Ittihad, who spoiled the party for Ronaldo and Co. The iconic forward captained Al Nassr once again but endured a difficult game.
Al Ittihad opened the scoring in the 15th minute when attacker Abdulrahman Al-Aboud drove down the left flank. He squared the ball to Romarinho, and the Brazilian had no problem tapping home from close range.
Cristiano Ronaldo came close in the 43rd minute, but his header was straight at Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe. Al Ittihad then raced down the other end and Hamdallah slotted home to pour more misery on Garcia’s side.
Al Nassr pulled one back through Anderson Talisca in the 67th minute to give Al Ittihad a nervy finish. But Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti secured Santos’ side’s win with a 90+3rd minute effort.
Garcia stressed following Ronaldo’s debut in a 1-0 win over Ettifaq that his players must resist trying to find their new number 7 at any given opportunity. Those sentiments rang true in Al Nassr’s disappointing exit from the Saudi Super Cup.
Al Ittihad advanced to the final on Sunday (January 29). Fans are taking digs at Ronaldo as his side were eliminated in his second appearance in Saudi football.
Manchester United supporters may feel a sense of justice following Ronaldo’s unceremonious exit last November. The Red Devils won their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Nottingham Forest last night (January 25).
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Portuguese ending up on the losing side:
Cristiano Ronaldo is tipped to adapt quickly to life in the Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo may have endured a difficult night against Al Ittihad, but he is tipped to succeed in the Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr. His side beat Al-Ettifaq on his debut on Sunday (January 22).
The Portuguese striker played against defender Marcel Tisserand in that game. The DR Congo international claimed that Ronaldo’s evolution over time should see him flourish in Saudi football. He said:
“We see that now he needs his teammates a little more. He plays a lot more with his head, pays more attention to his movements, and to his sense of timing. He evolves with the times. I think he will adapt quite quickly to this championship.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will look to put tonight’s defeat behind him and turn his attention to Al Nassr’s next game. Garcia’s men face Al Fateh on Friday (February 3).