Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed his Al-Nassr teammates following their impressive 3-1 win over Al Feiha in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, April 19. Notably, he was not part of the squad for the match, due to suspension.
During his last game against Al-Hilal in the semifinals of the Saudi Super Cup, Ronaldo was shown red after he elbowed Ali Al-Bulaihi out of frustration. He also raged at the referee before eventually storming off the pitch. His red card has led to a two-match ban, meaning that the forward will also not play when Al-Nassr meet Al-Khaleej in the league next weekend.
Ronaldo has been an instrumental player for the Saudi giants this season, having scored 36 goals in 37 games across all competitions. After the game, the Portuguese superstar reacted to his team's performance on X (formerly Twitter):
"Well done, Team!"
With Cristiano Ronaldo currently fit, he will be expected to return to the pitch as soon as his suspension is over. However, it does not seem as though his presence will do much to help Al-Nassr win the Saudi Pro League this season. They are currently nine points behind leaders Al-Hilal, who are unbeaten this season.
Al-Nassr secure comeback win without Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo did not feature for Al-Nassr against Al Feiha on Friday, but they still managed to secure all three points.
The night did not start well for the hosts, as Al Feiha shocked them with an early goal. It was Fashion Sakala who made his mark early on by scoring with just six minutes on the clock.
Al-Nassr pressed for an equalizer but went into half-time a goal down. However, in the 72nd minute, Abdulelah Al-Amri was on hand to level the score and begin the comeback. A previously strong Al Feiha defense faltered as Sadio Mane scored two goals within 10 minutes (76', 82') to seal the deal.
With the win, Al-Nassr have moved to 68 points from 28 games. They are still nine points shy of league leaders Al-Hilal, who have played a game less. While it is unlikely that an unbeaten Al-Hilal side will falter from here, Ronaldo and his team will keep up the pressure on their rivals.