Debutant Cristiano Ronaldo failed to liven up his debut in the shirt of Al Nassr with a goal. Trainer Rudi Garcia stated after the home win over Al-Ettifaq (1-0) that the Portuguese star also had no ideal preparation for his first match for his new club.
Ronaldo signed a much-discussed and extremely lucrative contract with Al-Nassr earlier this month and made his first playing minutes in Saudi Arabia last Thursday. The 37-year-old attacker then made his appearance in the combination team Riyadh Season XI, which lost 4-5 to Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain in a friendly game. Ronaldo scored twice in this match.
Three days after this exhibition match, Al-Nassr’s home game against Al-Ettifaq awaited. The stadium was full for Ronaldo’s official baptism of fire, who was welcomed with a nice atmosphere. With the captain’s armband on his arm, Ronaldo was on paper at the point of attack; in reality he regularly swerved to one of the flanks.
Ronaldo was very active and visibly motivated to grace his debut with a goal. That almost worked, but with a cross from Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem, CR7 just couldn’t reach the ball. Anderson Talisca was reached and he headed the 1-0 against the ropes.
Al Nassr coach Garcia’s press conference
Al Nassr coach Garcia already complained about Ronaldo’s participation before the friendly game and came back after the victory over Al-Ettifaq. The Frenchman responded to questions about his star’s goalless debut. “We must not forget that Ronaldo came into action against PSG. A few days ago and did not have enough rest in the end,” Garcia said, according to DPA.
The ex-trainer of AS Roma and Olympique Marseille, among others, expects Ronaldo to have a major impact on Al Nassr’s game. “With Ronaldo there you know that his presence means that defenders look at him and other guys can score. That happened this time too. But even with Ronaldo it is not easy to become champion. The competition is very strong,” said Garcia.
Ronaldo posted on Instagram after his first appearance for Al Nassr: “First game, first win, well done guys. Thank you to all the fans for the incredible support,” said the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Al Nassr will play in the semi-finals of the Saudi Cup against Al-Ittihad in three days. The other semi-final battle is between Al Feiha and Al-Hilal.
