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Fans have hit out Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate Aymeric Laporte for his role in Al-Nassr's 3-1 defeat to Al-Raed today (March 7).
Ronaldo made his return after missing a 4-4 draw against Al-Hazem through suspension. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's return ended miserably as Al-Alami suffered their fourth defeat of the Saudi Pro League season.
Moroccan forward Karim El Berkaoui opened the scoring for Al-Raed in the 18th minute. But, Al-Nassr hit back through Saudi Arabian winger Ayman Yahya six minutes later.
The visitors retook the lead through Moroccan midfielder Mohamed Fouzair in the 46th minute. Algerian attacking midfielder Amir Sayoud completed a shock win in the 87th minute.
Al-Nassr's defending for Fouzair's goal was questionable as Al-Raed flew forward on the counter. Laporte was left as a bystander as Igor Jovicevic's men broke and the Moroccan finished off a delightful move.
Laporte's performance left much to be admired as he struggled to deal with Raed Al Tahadi's attack. The former Manchester City defender won just three of eight aerial duels and he made one tackle throughout at KSU Stadium.
It was a disappointing evening for Cristiano Ronaldo on his return to action. He failed to hit the target with six attempts and struggled to get a foothold in the game.
The defeat leaves Luis Castro's men nine points behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal. They have played one game more than their title rivals.
One fan lashed out at Laporte by insisting this type of performance explains why City sold him:
"Get tf out of the team. You’re so horrible this is why you were sold."
Another fan echoed those sentiments:
"Laporte is so useless wtf."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Laporte's outing as Cristiano Ronaldo's side suffered defeat:
Aymeric Laporte hinted he's not enjoying life at Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr
Laporte arrived at Al-Nassr from Manchester City last summer in a €27.5 million deal. The Spanish defender joined a squad brimming with talent such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Anderson Talisca.
The 29-year-old has appeared 28 times across competitions, helping his side keep eight clean sheets. He's also chipped in with two goals and one assist since arriving at KSU Stadium.
However, Laporte suggested that life at Al-Nassr hasn't been overly enjoyable as he adapts to life in Saudi. He alluded to the change from Europe (via The Mirror):
"It's a big change compared to Europe, but in the end it's all adaptation. They haven't made it easy for us. In fact, there are many players who are dissatisfied."
Laporte and Ronaldo are just two of Europe's big guns who have headed to the Saudi Pro League this past year. Karim Benzema, Neymar, and N'Golo Kante also joined them in the Middle East.
The former City center-back added:
"We are working on it every day, negotiating so to speak, and seeing if it improves a little because this is something new for them too, having European players who already have a long career."
Laporte signed a two-year deal with Al-Alami which expires in 2026. His move from the Etihad came as somewhat of a surprise given he was still playing at the top level.
