Edited By: Amrit Santlani
Last Updated: January 23, 2023, 08:51 IST
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Anderson Talisca on his Al-Nassr debut (Ronaldo Twitter)
Ronaldo failed to find the back of the net on his debut but captained Al-Nassr as they beat Al-Ettifaq 1-0
Cristiano Ronaldo led Al-Nassr on his debut for the Saudi Arabian club however the star forward couldn’t find the back of the net as his side emerged 1-0 winners over Al-Ettifaq.
With the victory, Al-Nassr climbed to the top of the Saudi Pro League standings, with Anderson Talisca’s first-half strike enough to see them through.
Ronaldo was a livewire throughout the game and played the whole 90 minutes for Rudi Garcia’s side.
The 37-year-old nearly scored the opening goal as he jumped to meet Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem’s cross however the ball flew over him and was put into the back of the net by Talisca.
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The Portuguese forward had another chance minutes later as he attempted a free-kick from outside the box but his effort sailed over the bar.
He almost got an assist in the second half as Ronaldo got to the byline and attempted a cross however the subsequent effort went wide of the mark.
While the five-time Ballon d’Or winner wasn’t able to make a starring role in his side’s victory, he was nonetheless happy to kick off his adventure in the middle east with a win.
After the match, the former Manchester United ace took to Instagram and posted several pictures of himself from his debut match.
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“First game, first win – well done guys. Thanks to all the fans for incredible support,” wrote Ronaldo on the photo-sharing app.
Meanwhile, Al-Nassr are currently just a solitary point ahead of their arch-rivals Al-Hilal.
The legendary striker who joined the Saudi club in January had recently scored twice in Riyadh All Stars’ 5-4 defeat against Lionel Messi’s PSG during a friendly match.
This, after Ronaldo had his contract with United terminated, following an explosive interview that he gave to Piers Morgan wherein he criticized the club, head coach Erik Ten Hag and many players of past and present.
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