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Fans were unhappy after Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli substituted Cristiano Ronaldo during their SPL clash with Al-Feiha. The two sides clashed at the Al-Awaal Park on Friday, February 7, with the Knights of Najd winning 3-0.
Al-Nassr's latest signing Jhon Duran made his debut for the club when he scored the opener in the 22nd minute. The former Aston Villa star then bagged a brace in the 72nd minute off an assist from Sadio Mane.
Three minutes later, Ronaldo extended the lead as Nawaf Abdulrahman's pass found the Portuguese inside the box, and he tucked home to make the score 3-0. However, nine minutes after scoring, Pioli decided to take Cristiano Ronaldo off the pitch, replacing him with Mohammed Maran.
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Before the Al-Feiha clash, Ronaldo played every single minute of his 17 league appearances his season. Fans were unhappy with the manager for taking off the 40-year-old and took to X to make their feeling known.
One fan wrote:
"Pioli has special beef with him."
A displeased fan hinted that they were done watching the match, after Ronaldo was substituted, writing:
"TV OFF."
A third fan who was displeased with the manager's decision wrote:
"Enough is enough," alongside an angry face emoji.
"Match over," another fan commented, citing that the manager substituted the Portuguese because the game was done and dusted.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been prolific in the Saudi Pro League since the start of the year, scoring six times and providing one more in six games. Overall, he has registered 16 goals and three assists in 18 league outings.
Cristiano Ronaldo's numbers vs Al-Feiha
Cristiano Ronaldo had a decent outing in Al-Nassr's league clash with Al-Feiha on Friday. In 84 minutes on the pitch, the 40-year-old scored a goal and attempted four shots.
He recorded a pass accuracy of 96 percent and had five touches in the opposition's box. Ronaldo missed one big chance, lost possession once, and was caught offside on two occasions (via FotMob).
Al-Nassr are fourth on the SPL standings with 41 points from 19 matches. They will next play Al-Ahli away in the league on Thursday, February 13.
