"More important and useful for Al Nassr than Cristiano Ronaldo" - Fans praise Al-Nassr star after 1-1 draw against Al-Taawoun

Al-Nassr fans have hailed Aymeric Laporte, with one claiming that he is more important than Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored during their 1-1 draw against Al-Taawoun. The two sides faced off in the Saudi Pro League at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium on Friday, January 17.

Cristiano Ronaldo and company dominated the first half but struggled in front of goal. They were punished in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Saad Al Nasser netted to stun the visitors. Laporte proved to be the hero in the 64th minute when he powerfully headed Angelo Gabriel's cross into the back of the net to seal a draw.

In addition to his goal, Laporte had an excellent outing, completing 97 passes from an attempted 100. He also won both of his tackles, won five duels, made three recoveries, and was named the Player of the Match for his efforts.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo could not register a goal contribution against Al-Taawoun despite having numerous opportunities. The 39-year-old landed three shots on target from an attempted four, with his other four shots being blocked. He also created two chances, completed zero dribbles, and failed to deliver any crosses from two attempts.

One fan boldly stated:

"Laporte has been more important and useful for Al Nassr than Cristiano Ronaldo"

"I’m sorry to my future wife but she needs to understand why our children named, AYMERIC LAPORTE!!" one fan commented.

"Laporte now doing the work of the strikers," another added.

"Laporte has more goals in 2025 than Messi," one fan pointed out.

"Finally, a person other than Ronaldo Laporte deserves the saviour of Alnassr," another chimed in.

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“It was a difficult match as we expected" - Stefano Pioli provides verdict after Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr held to a 1-1 draw against Al-Taawoun

Al-Nassr boss Stefano Pioli has insisted that his team performed well despite facing a difficult team after Cristiano Ronaldo's side dropped two points in their draw against Al-Taawoun.

Al-Nassr dominated the ball with 64 percent possession and looked much more threatening going forward with their 19 shots (seven on target). Meanwhile, Al-Taawoun had just 36 percent possession and only mustered three shots (two on target).

During the post-match press conference, Pioli said (via @TheNassrZone on X):

“It was a difficult match as we expected, and my team performed excellently, but we were unable to return with the three points.”

On the title race, he added:

“We came here to win and continue competing. The 11-point gap is a lot but it is not impossible and our work will continue until the end of the season.”

Al-Nassr are currently fourth in the SPL table with 29 points from 15 games, 11 points behind leaders Al-Hilal.

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Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on January 18, 2025, at 1:35 AM IST. They are subject to change.