Cristiano Ronaldo made his much awaited Al Nassr debut but failed to score as his new team defeated Al-Ettifaq 1-0 in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday.
In his debut game in Riyadh, Ronaldo played the entire 90 minutes and kept the crowd engaged. Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca gave Al-Nassr the lead shortly after the halfway point. Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem sent in a cross that Ronaldo rushed into the box to try to meet, but it sailed over his head and was met by Talisca, who was able to score. A few minutes later, Ronaldo lined up a free kick outside the area and had a great chance, but his shot went high and wide.
The second half saw the 37-year old race the ball down to the by-line and fire in a threatening cross, but the resulting shot missed the mark. Ronaldo scored twice for a Riyadh All Stars team in a 4-5 defeat to Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain in an exhibition match. With 14 games under their belt, Al Nassr has surpassed the reigning champion Al Hilal by one point. Ronaldo, who was handed the important duty of captain, got off to a quiet start in the first half, twice misplacing the ball while trying to trick his teammates.
Soon after, Ronaldo blasted over a free kick from a prime location just outside the penalty area while being greeted with cries of “Siu!” whenever he touched the ball. “He’s one of the best players in the history of football, so it’s very important for us to do everything possible to put him in the best condition,” said Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia.