As the runner-up of the Saudi Pro League 2023 - 2024, Ronaldo's Al Nassr Club has struggled at the beginning of the 2024 - 2025 season. After 3 rounds, the team has only won 1 and drawn 2. Poor form has left Al Nassr Club 4 points behind the top group. What had to happen happened, coach Luis Castro was fired and very quickly Al Nassr Club announced Stefano Pioli's former coach as the new captain. On the day of his inauguration, the Italian coach was confident that he would help Ronaldo and Al Nassr Club play well, declaring: "We are ready to fight".
Coach Stefano Pioli makes his debut at Al Nassr Club
Under the new coach, Ronaldo still received trust and started from the beginning in the match against Steven Gerrard's Al Ettifaq Club. The Portuguese player played the highest, supported by the trio of Sadio Mane, Talisca and new Brazilian player Angelo Gabriel. Meanwhile, in midfield and defense, Al Nassr Club still had stars like Otávio, Aymeric Laporte. The only absentee was midfielder Brozovic - the player who just retired from the Croatian team after 99 appearances.
In the last 2 meetings with Al Ettifaq, Al Nassr Club won. Therefore, Ronaldo and his teammates entered the match with great confidence, attacking from the start. After the first 45 minutes, coach Stefano Pioli's team held the ball up to 65%, fired 8 shots (twice as many as their opponents) and led 1-0.
As usual, Ronaldo was at the heart of every attack for Al Nassr. The 39-year-old moved widely, actively participated in the overall play and received the highest score in the first half - 7.5 points.
Notably, Ronaldo was also the author of the opening goal for Al Nassr with a successful penalty kick in the 33rd minute. This was also Ronaldo's 7th goal after 8 appearances in the 2024 - 2025 season. Different from the familiar "Siu" celebration style, Ronaldo turned to the stands, where his son Cristiano Jr. was sitting. Before that, in the 5th minute, the captain of Al Nassr also had a very strong free kick from a distance of nearly 25 meters, causing goalkeeper Marek Rodák of Al Ettifaq Club to struggle to block.
Ronaldo is the first scorer under coach Stefano Pioli
Al Nassr's rise continued into the second half. After 10 minutes of slow play, Al Nassr suddenly accelerated in the 55th minute and doubled the gap. The one who brought joy to Al Nassr was full-back Salem Al Najdi. Sadio Mane, who played next to Ronaldo, also contributed to this goal with a delicate assist. In the 70th minute, Sadio Mane had a second assist, helping Talisca seal the 3-0 score for Al Nassr.
On the other side of the front line, coach Steven Gerrard's team played disappointingly. After 90 minutes, Al Ettifaq Club only had 2 shots on target and could not trouble Al Nassr's goalkeeper Bento. Even if Ronaldo's shot in the 90th minute had not hit the crossbar, Al Ettifaq Club's net would have shaken for the 4th time.
Sadio Mane (right) had two assists in the match against Al Ettifaq Club
In the end, Ronaldo and his teammates won 3-0 against Al Ettifaq Club. However, Al Nassr Club only has 8 points, ranked 4th, right behind Al Ettifaq Club (ranked 3rd, with 9 points). In the next match, Al Nassr Club will meet Al Hazm (September 23) in the King's Cup.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ronaldo-khai-nong-duoi-trieu-dai-hlv-moi-al-nassr-thang-dam-doi-cua-hlv-steven-gerrard-18524092102590085.htm
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