Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr have suffered a huge blow as both Anderson Talisca and Alex Telles reportedly got injured during their 3-1 win against Al-Feiha on Saturday, October 28.
The Knights of Najd cruised to a comfortable 3-1 win against Al-Feiha away from home in the Saudi Pro League. Cristiano Ronaldo assisted Talisca in the 49th minute to give them the lead. Telles then set up the latter in the 61st minute with a brilliant cross to give the Riyadh-based outfit a 2-0 lead.
Hussein Al-Shuwaish pulled a goal back for the hosts five minutes later. However, Otavio scored a screamer from outside the box in the 74th minute to seal all three points for the visitors.
Unfortunately during Al-Nassr's win, Talisca limped off in the 67th minute, being replaced by Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem. Manager Luis Castro gave an update on the Brazilian after the game, saying (via @9NFCBALL):
“Talisca was suffering from fatigue, and before his injury, I was going to replace the player, but he was injured during the match.”
To make matters worse, Telles has also reportedly an adductor muscle injury. Both players find themselves in a race against time to be fit for Al-Nassr's King Cup of Champions Round of 16 clash against Al-Ettifaq on Tuesday, October 31.
Talisca would be a big miss for the Knights of Najd. He has scored 14 goals and provided two assists in 11 appearances across all competitions, leveling Cristiano Ronaldo's tally this season. On the other hand, Telles has provided two assists in his eight appearances.
"Why are they not looking at positive things?" - Cristiano Ronaldo's manager Luis Castro fires back at Al-Nassr critics
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr's head coach Luis Castro fired back at his critics after the Knights of Najd secured a 3-1 win against Al-Feiha on Saturday.
Al-Nassr have had a good start to their campaign. They are second in the Saudi Pro League standings with 25 points from 11 games, four points behind leaders Al-Hilal.
The Riyadh-based outfit have also made perfect starts in the AFC Champions League and King Cup of Champions, losing just two games across all competitions.
However, Castro has been criticized for his defense not being as strong as the quality he has in midfield and attack. They have conceded 14 goals in the league so far.
Castro responded (via @TheNassrZone):
“Why are Al-Nassr fans worried about defense and negative things? Why are they not looking at positive things? We are at the top of our group in Asia and we are in second place in the league and we have achieved several victories”
Castro will be banking on Cristiano Ronaldo to continue his rich vein of form in the coming games. The Portugal icon has netted 14 goals and provided eight assists in 14 appearances in total.