Cristiano Ronaldo fails to make impact on Al Nassr debut
By Sean Walsh
Cristiano Ronaldo made his long-awaited Al Nassr debut on Sunday in a 1-0 win at home to Al-Ettifaq.
The 37-year-old featured for the first time in Saudi Arabian football last week for a Pro League XI against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain. Ronaldo scored twice as the French champions ran out 5-4 winners.
His first match for Al Nassr came a few days later at a sold out Mrsool Park to take on midtable side Al-Ettifaq. Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca scored the game's only goal just after the half hour mark.
However, Ronaldo's debut did not fully go according to plan – he took to the wrong half of the pitch for the pre-match warm up and lost the ball with his first two touches once the game kicked off.
During a low-quality game, he was unable to register a single shot on target.
Ronaldo was named captain and was loudly cheered by fans, receiving a standing ovation upon leaving the pitch at full-time.
Al Nassr moved to the top of the Pro League standings, leading rivals Al Hilal by one point.
Ronaldo will hope to score his first Al Nassr goal on Thursday when they take on Al Ittihad in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup.
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