Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in Al Nassr’s victory over Al Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League, and head coach Stefano Pioli delivered a clear message to critics of the Portuguese star.
This weekend, Cristiano Ronaldo came through for Al Nassr with two goals in a 2–1 win over Al Riyadh in the Saudi Pro League. The result helped the team close the gap in the standings while also sparking a bold response from coach Stefano Pioli aimed at those who continue to question the Portuguese forward.
“Cristiano Ronaldo helped us build this team as the leader of the group. I can’t talk about his performance on the field and what you saw today is the best response to his critics,” said Pioli during the post-match press conference, as reported by The Nassr Zone.
The statement comes just days after reports surfaced about alleged tension between Pioli and several players on the squad, including CR7, casting doubt over the Italian coach’s future with the team. However, these comments made his appreciation for the 40-year-old star clear.
“It was a complicated match and we didn’t achieve the required goals,” Stefano said in his assessment of the team’s performance. “We needed to build from the back and it’s good that the team created many opportunities. We will continue to develop… We are always thinking about the next match. We have the ambition to perform at a level that satisfies our fans and win every match.”
Al Nassr’s goals for this season
With the win over Al Riyadh, Al Nassr remain in third place in the Saudi Pro League standings with 57 points, just one behind Al Hilal. However, their hopes of contending for the league title remain slim, with league leaders Al Ittihad holding a solid seven-point lead and only nine games left in the season.
“We hope to win the title at the end of the season,” said Pioli. Still, the coach made it clear that the league isn’t the team’s primary focus at the moment. “I say to Al Nassr fans, we work during the day so that you can dream at night of Al Nassr winning the AFC Champions League.”
Indeed, Al Nassr appear better positioned to contend on the continental stage. In the AFC Champions League, they cruised through the group stage and secured a 3–0 aggregate win over Esteghlal FC of Iran in the round of 16. Up next is a quarterfinal matchup against Yokohama Marinos of Japan.
Al Nassr players react to Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t just the hero in Al Nassr’s win over Al Riyadh on Saturday—he also delivered a stunning goal that left fans and even his teammates in awe. “What have you done man! This is unbelievably crazy,” wrote Angelo on his Instagram account.
“Cristiano, What was that?” was the message from Mohamed Simakan, while Nawaf Boushal posted: “It’s not normal,” along with a goat emoji. Jhon Duran also joined in with a tribute: “There will never be another like him,” followed by a crown emoji.
From: bolavip.com
