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The wait for Cristiano Ronaldo‘s competitive debut for Al-Nassr ended on Sunday night as the Portuguese forward featured in the starting XI of the Saudi Arabian side against Ettifaq. Though Al-Nassr went on to claim a 1-0 win in the match, Ronaldo couldn’t find his name on the scoresheet. The superstar forward came close to providing an assist but his pass wasn’t converted by the teammate. Seeing Ronaldo draw blank in the match, fans have flooded social media with memes, targeting the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner.
There were a few promising signs for Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in a potential 200 million USD deal. However, Ronaldo’s league debut had an anticlimactic feel in front of 22,862 fans after he scored twice in this week’s lively 5-4 exhibition defeat to Lionel Messi‘s Paris Saint-Germain. Here’s how fans reacted:
Congrats @ManUtd – that’s what happens when you hire an arrogant coach who disrespects the @Cristiano so badly he leaves – and then replaces him with someone I’ve never heard of who sounds like an Austrian sausage. #Weghorst pic.twitter.com/Gk2rCo9aMw
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 22, 2023
While Arsenal was seriously beating man utd, Ronaldo was busy scoring goals in Riyadh pic.twitter.com/RqSkNgtY9H
— Acholi goddd (@sk_bongomin93) January 23, 2023
No way Ronaldo is the lowest rated player against an unknown club pic.twitter.com/KnnworX2ZA
— Troll Football (@Troll_Fotballl) January 22, 2023
No way she made fun of Ronaldo’s debut pic.twitter.com/QR9LIPuXOO
— Context Ronaldo (@ContextRonaldo) January 22, 2023
Mid mid mid player.. advice him to retire already pic.twitter.com/gzjh4wzfII
— Kingsley Chidera (@kingchi150) January 22, 2023
Messi in WC final vs France
Ronaldo vs somebody named Al-Ettifaq.
Life is perfect now.pic.twitter.com/NTC2QpiIN9— FCB Albiceleste (@FCBAlbiceleste) January 22, 2023
@Cristiano
You make me laugh doit again pls pic.twitter.com/21VshdqgmF— mh mh (@mhmh65328709) January 23, 2023
We didn’t buy Cristiano Ronaldo for 300 million just to drop a total stinker vs one of the worst teams in the league..
What is this crap? Where’s the goals? pic.twitter.com/vEx0UhuzzI
— Mojeda (@Mojeda101) January 22, 2023
Ronaldo, leading out Al Nassr as captain, made a low-key start in the first half, twice losing the ball with attempted trickery as his teammates struggled to get him on the ball.
Ronaldo’s early shot from the edge of the box was deflected over, and he nearly met Abdulmajeed Al Sulaiheem’s cross that was headed in by Anderson Talisca for the game’s only goal on 31 minutes.
Shortly afterwards, Ronaldo, met by shouts of “Siu!” every time he touched the ball, blazed over with a free kick from an inviting position just outside the penalty area.
Al Nassr’s front three began to click in the second half and Ronaldo set up Pity Martinez and Talisca — after some trademark stepovers — for close chances in quick succession.
A swing and a miss at a bicycle kick showed Ronaldo was warming to his task, and he then attempted a shot from a nearly impossible angle after a dribble into the box.
With AFP inputs
But there was to be no goal for Ronaldo, watched by his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, in a win that kept Al Nassr on top of the Saudi Pro League.
With AFP inputs
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